Soul Nomad and the Lost Souls
by RamblingFox2501
Summary: Ari is an ordinary boy with an extraordinary destiny. His life is changed when he comes across a woman with a possessed shadow and a sword sealed with an evil, destructive-hungry being. Now they must go on a quest to defeat the Evil Kings and save themselves from evil. However, questions will be raised, and Ari will find that there are bigger things at stake.
1. Chapter 1: The Bottle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zener Work's **_**Okage Shadow King**_** or Nippon Ichi Software's **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_**.**

**So, a little history you can skip reading: **_**Okage Shadow King**_** was (and still is) one of my favorite games from childhood. Recently, I tried out the game **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_**, and I fell in love with the characters, Gig especially. The thought of what it would be like if Ari was fused with Gig crossed my mind, the gears in my brain started whirring like crazy…and this fanfiction is the result.**

**This will all take place in the world of **_**Okage Shadow King**_**, yet the concepts of both games will be used. With all that said, hope you enjoy reading this.**

**Warning: This fanfiction contains strong language. Later chapters will also have spoilers for _Soul Nomad and the World Eaters._**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Bottle

Ari mentally groaned as he walked down the path to Tenel.

For the third time this week, his mother sent him to pick up bread. As usual, it was supposed to be Annie's job, but she had once again weaseled her way out of the errand, saying that she had "homework" to do. Because of this, it once again fell to Ari. He arrived at the front gate and went through.

The village of Tenel wasn't busy, as usual. There weren't many people in the village, and most of them were working at stores that only the regulars would visit. As the gate closed behind Ari, he noticed someone standing next to it.

That person was Julia. She stood in her usual attire, a white dress with black boots, and gazed out into nothing. Ari had known her since childhood, and yet he could never really talk to her. He calmed his now racing thoughts and approached her.

"Hi Julia." He said meekly.

The blonde continued to stare in space.

"Julia?"

It was as if he wasn't really there. Somehow, no one ever really noticed Ari, and the ones who did usually didn't listen to what he had to say. This would happen even around the ones he knew throughout his whole life. He figured it was because he was a quiet character, but still, this amount of unnoticeability was ridiculous.

He was about to give up on talking to Julia when she suddenly turned her head to face him. She seemed startled and she said, "Huh? Oh, Ari! I was daydreaming, sorry about that."

"That's-."

"Hey, so did you know the circus is coming tomorrow night?"

"Yes."

"So, do you want to ask me out?"

Though Ari could never tell Julia what he was thinking, she was good at figuring these things out. He knew that he could never ask her out, so when she posed the question, he froze in place. He opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. However, Julia wouldn't even give him a chance to say a single syllable.

"Sorry, but someone already asked me out."

Ari's mouth hung open. If someone had asked her out, then why did she bother to ask him? This was one thing he never understood about her. He hung his head and muttered "goodbye" before walking off.

"Wait." Julia spoke up.

Ari stopped and turned to face Julia. She said, "Um, sometime soon, I need to tell you something important."

There was a long pause. Finally, she said, "Uh…I have to go. See you." She walked past Ari, leaving him wondering what she was going to say. Still, it didn't really matter. Once more, he had failed to secure a date with her. He resumed his journey to the bakery.

The only people in the bakery were the baker woman and her husband. The baker's back was turned to Ari, as she was tending to the oven. The husband sat off to the side, lost in his thoughts. Ari approached the counter and said, "Hello."

The woman did not hear him. She sang a happy tune consisting of nothing but the word "la". She was obviously engrossed in her work.

"I'm here to pick up the bread." Ari spoke up.

Still, she did not notice him. Knowing that he can't get her attention, Ari placed his arms on the counter and rested his head on top of them. Finally, the baker turned around and saw him.

"Huh? Oh, it's you, Ari!" The baker said cheerfully. "Don't I always tell you? A boy like you needs to speak up. You've come to pick up the bread, right?"

Ari straightened himself and nodded. The baker knelt down behind the counter and came back up with a loaf of bread. She handed it to Ari and said, "The payment has already been taken care of, so here you go. Tell your sister I said 'hello'."

Ari gave a single nod and walked out with the loaf in hand. On the way to the gate, he saw Annie. She approached him and said, "I see you got the loaf."

"The baker says 'hello'." Ari said nonchalantly.

"Let me guess, she didn't notice you again? Well, you're the type of person to blend in someone else's shadow, so it's not surprising."

_The type to blend into someone else's shadow, huh? _Ari thought to himself. That sounded right. People knew him, but they wouldn't really notice him most of the time. It had been like this for as long as he can remember.

His thoughts were interrupted by Annie saying, "Let's go home already. I'm starving, and I want to know if mom is cooking steak or stew for dinner!"

So the siblings headed for home.

* * *

The next night, the family was gathered in the parlor. Two days ago, Ari's father had found an ornate purple bottle while he was walking in the woods. He was, however, unable to remove the cork. Since he found it, he became obsessed with it, trying to figure out its origins and contents by coming up with wild theories.

Ari's father called in his father, mother, wife, son, and daughter to the parlor to host an open discussion about the bottle. He placed the bottle on the rug and started speaking his ideas. The rest of the family quickly lost interest is what he was saying.

"So, this crest," he began, "is…hmm…I think it's…"

The mother chuckled and said to her children, "Your father is crazy about that bottle! He really likes antiques!"

"And so," the father went on, "this coloring…"

"You know the circus is in the field outside of town tonight, right? Why don't you two go have fun?"

Annie jumped at the chance and said, "Alright Ma, see you later!"

She was about to run out of the room when her mother called out, "It's dangerous to go out alone. Go with your brother."

She stopped and said, "Don't worry, I'm going out with Chad tonight!"

Annie left singing a happy tune.

_Didn't she say she was going out with Bruce yesterday?_ Ari thought to himself.

"Oh Annie," the mother said to herself, "a boy is picking you up? You've grown up. I'm so happy for you!"

Ari was about to follow his sister out when his father spoke up, "Ari, wait a minute. I need a word with you."

Ari knew his father wanted someone to listen to his theories again, and he was powerless to do anything about it. He went up to his father and asked, "What is it?"

"Great!" His father became enthusiastic. "Okay, so this bottle…"

"Dad, I want to go to the circus." Ari interrupted.

"Huh, what was that? Anyways, the crest on this bottle, if my theory is correct, is in the shape of the tail of the Rainbow Rat that only comes out by moonlight, namely…"

"Oh boy," the grandfather muttered, "there he goes again."

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right honey." The grandmother agreed.

"Well, I think I'll go out for some fresh air."

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right honey."

The grandparents slowly stood up and left the room. Ari wished he could go with them, but he was trapped by his dad.

"Among these ancient rituals," his father went on, "…and the curve of the handle is…foretold by the shoelace weaver…with the proper harmonics…all you need is a little garlic…at 200 degrees for an hour…"

"Oh, that reminds me," the mother said aloud, "I need to put away dinner."

She also exited, leaving Ari and his father alone with the bottle. Ari tried to speak up again, "Dad-."

"No, wait," the father mumbled, lost in his own thoughts, "let me see…then, yes…no, no…it's simple quantum physics, really…"

Ari stood there, not really listening to his father. Two hours passed, and he was surprised he didn't fall asleep while he was standing. His father was losing his voice, so he knew he was about done.

"Therefore…my conclusion is…" The father stopped to take a deep breath. "Do you understand, son?"

Ari said nothing. He knew he had missed the circus, and he wanted to call his dad out on it, but he couldn't. What would be the point? Even if his father acknowledged what he said, he would probably brush it off.

"Oh, hang on," the father said, "the circus is tonight, isn't it?"

Ari's expression became pained.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go out and have some fun, boy!"

_But it's too late._ Ari thought.

With his head hung low, he went outside. He didn't know why he was still making his way to the circus. Maybe he was hoping he would catch the last few minutes. Maybe he just wanted to be somewhere other than the house.

When he arrived in front of the tent, he saw that there were no lights. Two people exited the tent: Julia and one of the boys from Tenel. Julia saw Ari and walked up to him.

"Good evening." She said.

The boy by Julia's side asked, "Ari, what are you doing here? The circus is already over! Ha ha, you always miss out, you dork!"

Ari said nothing.

"Hey, let's go, Julia."

The two of them walked past Ari without glancing back. He thought he would one day get used to getting picked on by the other kids of Tenel, but their words always left a sting in his mind and heart. Seeing Julia leave like that also hurt.

_Why did I even bother coming? _Ari thought to himself.

He was about to leave when he heard someone shout, "Hey! Get away! I told you, get away, you drunk buffoon!"

There was a loud slap and a short, pudgy man in a ringleader's outfit came rolling out of the tent. Stepping out after him was a woman in strange attire. She wore a white outfit and had a rapier at her side, meaning that she was a warrior. What stood out, though, was that she was holding an open pink parasol above her head. Why she had her parasol out at night, Ari could not even begin to guess.

The woman shook her fist angrily at the fallen ringleader and said, "You deserve that!"

Like a ball, the man rolled slowly from side to side, trying to get up. He let out a groan of pain and hiccupped. He said with a slight slur, "What a woman…"

The woman stepped over the fallen man and was about to leave when she saw Ari staring at her. She snapped, "What are you looking at?"

Ari turned his head to the side and said, "Sorry." He turned to leave.

"Wait." The woman went up to him and asked, "Boy, are you traveling by yourself?"

"Yes."

"Don't you know it's dangerous to go out alone at night? You can get attacked by ghosts!"

"I made it here without seeing any ghosts."

"Listen, I'll walk you back. Where do you live?"

Ari felt like this was an argument he could not win. It was true that there were hostile ghosts that roamed around and attacked whoever, but he had never had problems with ghosts. He had seen them before, but he was always able to run to town to get away from them, since ghosts stay away from populated areas. He did not want to start an argument, so he told her that he lived at the big house outside of town.

The boy and the woman were approaching the intersection to the village and house when a scream rang out in the air. They both ran ahead and what Ari saw made his blood go cold. In front of him was a mass of red fog with yellow eyes. It was a ghost, but that was only part of the reason Ari froze up. Below the ghost was Annie, unconscious and pale.

"A ghost!?" The woman drew out her rapier and ran at the ghost.

The ghost noticed her sudden approach and floated off into the woods. The woman stopped just short of the edge and watched the ghost vanish into the air. Ari ran to his sister's side and called out, "Annie!"

"Annie?" A voice called out.

Ari lifted his head and saw his father run towards them. He asked, "What happened?"

The woman sheathed her rapier and said, "A ghost attacked her. It got away…damn!"

Ari's father knelt next to his daughter and shook her. He cried out, "Annie! Annie! Open your eyes, Annie!"

However, she would not wake up.

"Help! We need help!"

* * *

It took an hour to tell the family what had happened and to find a doctor who could help. Everyone, including the woman, was in Annie's room, watching anxiously as the doctor examined her. She lay half asleep in bed and said nothing as the doctor looked over her.

Finally, he took a step back and said to everyone present, "I'm sorry, but it looks like she is cursed. There isn't anything I can do to cure her."

He left the room full of now shocked people. The woman lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry. It's my fault. If I had arrived sooner, this wouldn't have happened."

Ari's father turned to her and said, "It's not your fault Miss…?

"Rosalyn. I am hero, but yet-!"

"Please, Miss Rosalyn-!"

They were interrupted by the mother suddenly letting out a painful gasp. The father went to her side and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Annie…" The mother trembled. "She…she spoke, but…"

"Annie?"

The girl blinked slowly and said, "Othermay, hyway am I alkingtay llaay unnyfay?"

Everyone stared at her in a stunned silence. Ari broke the short lived silence by asking, "What was that?"

"It's pig latin." The grandfather spoke. "I remember I used to play around with it when I was younger. The user skips the first letter of the word and adds it to the end, followed by 'ay'."

"I remember you telling me about that." The father said. "You would say stuff like 'oodgay orningmay'."

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right honey." The grandmother agreed.

"Oh no!" The mother wailed. "This is just too horrible! Now Annie is going to grow up to be a comic relief girl and not a precious, pretty princess!"

"I on'tday antway otay ebay a omiccay eliefray irlgay." Annie shook her head.

Though Ari was worried about his sister, he still couldn't help but feel pained at his mother's obvious favoritism.

"It's a horrible curse," Rosalyn admitted, "but I don't think it's going to ruin-."

"No, no," Ari's mother continued to despair, "my girl's going to become comic relief."

"Hang on." The father spoke up. "I might have something."

Everyone turned their attention to the father. He paced back and forth and started talking to himself.

"Maybe…it could be…yes!" He faced everyone and said, "I think I know how we can save Annie! The answer is in the bottle!"

"That funny bottle?" The mother asked.

"Son, are you sure about this?" The grandfather was skeptical.

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right honey." The grandmother agreed with her husband.

"I'm positive, father. Now, Ari…"

Ari looked at his father, wondering what he was going to say now.

"We're going to need everyone's help, but being your sister's brother, she might need your help the most. Tell me, son, are you willing to do anything for her?"

Ari did not like where this was heading, but he answered, "Yes."

"Are you willing do whatever it takes, no matter how painful it might be?"

Now Ari really didn't like what his father was saying. He decided he could not be silent on this, so he tried to speak, "Dad, what-?"

"Huh? What was that? Well, good to hear you're on board."

Ari gaped at his father. Rosalyn was also confused and surprised at what his father was saying. However, instead of standing up for Ari, she said, "I would also like to help however I can."

"Oh, Miss Rosalyn!" Ari's mother beamed. "Thank you so much. Your kindness will not be forgotten."

"Now then, everyone," the father announced, "to the basement!"

* * *

Ari hadn't been down to the basement in a while, and he was quick to notice the changes. The old furniture and boxes of memories were pushed against the walls, giving the basement a lot more space. Drawn on the floor was a large diagram that consisted of circles, triangles, and unknown writing. Placed in the very center was the bottle. The family was wondering what the father was up to now.

Rosalyn, however, was wondering something else. She stared at the bottle and coldly asked, "Where did you get that?"

"Oh, that?" The father asked. "I found it in the woods a few days ago. After much research, I believe that this is Pollack's Bottle. You see, Pollack is a person who really existed several hundred years ago. The legend goes that he obtained the power to change a person's fate and hid it in this bottle. I drew this ideogram some time ago, so if we can just appeal to that power-."

"You have no idea, do you?" Rosalyn gripped the handle of her parasol tightly, which she was still holding above her head for reasons no one but her knew. "I've seen that bottle before, and what's in it."

"Oh, so you know about Pollack's Bottle, do you Miss Rosalyn?"

"It's not—look, I know you want to save that girl, but that bottle is _not_ the solution."

"I'm afraid I share the young lady's doubts about this." The grandfather said.

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right honey." The grandmother, as usual, agreed.

Ari also felt the same way, but said nothing. Whatever his father was planning on doing, it did not seem right. He knew that his father had no real clue what he was doing, and though he usually thought nothing of it, he was now afraid of what he might attempt. Looking at Rosalyn, he saw that he wasn't the only one who was worried.

_What does she know about that bottle?_ Ari now thought.

"Well, father, seeing is believing," his father answered, "and you will now see the power that can save Annie!"

The father stood in front of the bottle and started speaking an incantation that he seemed to have made up on top of his head.

"We call upon a power forlorn, to issue forth and be reborn. We beckon you, honored guest, to be present and grant us our request. We before your majesty kneel-."

"No!" Rosalyn cried out. "Stop what you're doing!"

"…Grace us now, your true self revealed!"

It was too late. As soon as the father spoke the last word, the room was engulfed in white light. When it faded away, everyone saw that one more individual had joined them on this night.

It was a white ghost with large horns. It didn't look particularly intimidating to everyone, probably because it was wearing a blue tuxedo. It stood in the circle next to the bottle and glanced at everyone.

"Oh!" He cried out. "At last, at last! The time has come for my great master to revive! Hi everyone, I am an evil butler. The name is-."

"James." Rosalyn interrupted.

The ghost turned to the parasol wielding hero and said with surprise, "Oh, Miss Rosalyn, I never expected to see you again. How long has it been?"

"Not long enough, it seems."

The father hesitantly spoke up, "So, you two know each other?"

"Yes," James answered, "but I will still do the introductions for everyone else's sake."

"Please do." The grandfather sighed.

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right honey." The grandmother agreed.

"Now," the butler began, "residing in this bottle is the Evil King who presides wickedly over all darkness and malevolence everywhere: Lord Stanley Hihat Trinidad XIV!"

"E-evil king?" The mother sounded worried.

Ari looked at his father. He had really messed things up this time. He said, "Dad…"

The father was genuinely puzzled at what was going on. He murmured, "Huh…this is strange."

"Ahem!" A new voice made itself known.

The voice was coming from the bottle. The bottle hopped up and down as the voice said, "You may call me Evil King Stan. I am a purely evil, Evil King. Let my malevolence and sheer badness awe and terrify you!"

Rosalyn stepped forward and said to the entity in the bottle, "I see you're still in there, Stan."

"You!" The bottle hopped at a faster pace. "You're that bloated pig that released me before!"

"Who are you calling a bloated pig?!"

The father noted, "You really do know each other."

"Oh yes." Confirmed James.

"So, what is it?" Stan went on. "Did you really miss me that much?"

"Like hell I-."

"Hold on." The father stepped forward. He addressed Stan, "It was I who called you. You see, we have a favor to ask of you. Our daughter, Annie…has been cursed by a ghost, and she is on her deathbed as we speak!"

_She's not dying._ Ari flatly thought.

"Please!" The mother begged. "Save our little girl!"

"Huh, a ghost?" Stan asked. "You mean one of those lower class beings? That's easy! But you must know, in order to benefit from me, the Evil King, one of you must make an evil agreement with me. One of you must serve as my slave, servant, and follower!"

"I knew it." Rosalyn turned to face the family. "Listen, something similar happened to me before, so I must tell you all now: don't agree with this evil being!"

"But what about Annie?" The mother asked.

"Hey!" Stan shouted. "You're not making the decision for them!"

"True." The father nodded. "I appreciate your concern, Miss Rosalyn, but our daughter's life is at stake here."

Rosalyn opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. She backed away from the bottle and joined the rest of the family outside of the ideogram. The family was silent for a couple of seconds, each one thinking about the decision before them.

Ari was with Rosalyn on this one: they shouldn't make any deals with anything calling themselves an Evil King. Yes, Annie will be cured, but one of them would have to serve as this King's slave for who knows how long. It also didn't help that he felt like his family would choose him to be the sacrificial lamb.

"Alright," the father finally said, "if that's what we have to do, then…even if it means selling my soul to the devil ten times over, I'll do it."

"I'll sell mine too!" The mother joined in.

"And me!" The grandfather nodded.

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right honey." The grandmother was in agreement.

The father turned to face Ari and asked, "What about you, son? Will you sell your soul to save Annie?"

Ari stared at his father. He was being pressured into agreeing, yet he knew the whole thing wasn't right. He may care for his sister, but the curse wasn't serious enough that he would give up his soul. He wanted to say "no", he wanted to say "do you know what you are even saying", but he only managed to say, "I-."

"Great!" His father interrupted him. "Good to see you're willing to sell your soul, too. God, I'm so proud to have such a brave son!"

"You…" Rosalyn was nearly flabbergasted. "You really want to do this?"

"What about you, Miss Rosalyn?" The mother asked. "You said you wanted to help however you can."

"I-I did, but…" Rosalyn paused before saying. "I did say I would."

"Like I would even pick you!" Stan piped up.

"Well, it looks like everyone is in agreement." James was pleased. "Now, if you could all form a single line, we will begin."

Everyone did as they were told. James stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.

"Three hundred years ago," he began, "the Great Evil King Gohma destroyed half the world. However, he was defeated by a hero. Lord Stan, who graces us with his devilish presence today, is the reincarnation and successor to the Great Evil King Gohma."

"Yes, yes," Stan said, "I have waited three hundred years in a bottle due to some deplorable error, but now, at last, my powers of revival have been accumulated! It's all due to my indomitable endurance and effort! Oh how great I am!"

"Oh how indeed." Ari could hear Rosalyn mutter next to him.

"That's my master!" James beamed. He regained his original composure and continued, "However, master's original power is only a fraction of what it once was. Until his complete revival, he needs to borrow a human shadow, which is where you all come in. However, since it is the master haunting it, the shadow needs to be top class. Thus!"

Two ghosts, a red one and a white one, materialized next to James. Everyone stiffened when they saw them appear. James reassured them, "These are shadow experts who will judge your shadows. I have hired them for this very occasion!"

A green ring of light appeared behind the butler.

"Each of you will take turns stepping into the magic circle so that the experts will judge your shadow. The person whose shadow gets the most points will win the contest."

"Contest?" The mother asked.

"Yes, this will be the First Stan Cup Shadow Contest!"

_What?_ Ari thought. He was pretty sure everyone else was thinking the same thing.

James announced, "Now then, everyone, let's start the contest!"

Everyone took their turns stepping into the light. Minutes passed, and so far, there seemed to be no winner. Ari didn't know what these ghosts were even looking for in their shadows. As far as he could tell, there was nothing special about anyone's shadows.

There were now only two people who haven't yet been judged: Ari and Rosalyn. James called for Ari, and he stepped into the ring of light. He was nervous as the ghosts hovered next to each of his sides. Nothing happened for several long seconds, then the ghosts spoke.

"Boo, b, boo!" The red ghost sounded surprised.

"Phshewwww!" The white ghost was also in awe.

Ari had no idea what they were saying, but fortunately, James was there to translate. Unfortunately, what he had to say made his stomach drop.

"W-wow! What a surprise!" James exclaimed. "You won over all the judges! There is no contest as to who the winner is!"

"But I haven't even been judged!" Rosalyn said.

"Yes," the mother agreed, "she didn't get her turn."

"She doesn't need it!" Stan spoke up. "I've haunted her shadow before, and it's one of the worst one's I've ever inhabited! Really, if you imbeciles knew the pain of living in the shadow of someone whose butt sags-."

"Shut up!" Rosalyn snapped. "There's nothing wrong with my frame!"

"A-anyways," James continued, "the winner of the First Stan Cup Shadow Contest is Ari! Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Ari lowered his head. He had had a feeling that he was going to be picked, and he was right. Annie will be cured and be able to talk normally again, but what about him? Was he going to be this Evil King's slave forever? His family's cheers offered no comfort.

"You did it, Ari!"

"I knew you could do it!"

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right honey."

"Well done, son! I'm so proud of you!"

"No!" A voice next to him spoke up. "Not you!"

The next thing he knew, Ari was shoved out of the magic ring and fell face first onto the floor. He turned around to see who had pushed him. His eyes widened at who he saw.

Standing in the ring was Rosalyn. A dark energy surrounded her body and vanished as soon as it had appeared. Her shadow suddenly sprung off the ground and took on a shape of its own. The shadow had long arms with three fingers on each hand. Its eyes and mouth were yellow and it had pointed ears.

Everyone stared in shock at what had happened.

"No!" The shadow wailed. "No no no no nononono! What have you done?!"

Rosalyn only smirked.

* * *

**Yes, this is going to be one of many twists in the original story. If you don't like this, you're probably not going to like what else is in store. Next time, I actually incorporate something from **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_** into this story.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Black Sword

**I do not own Zener Work's **_**Okage Shadow King**_** or Nippon Ichi Software's **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_**, though it would be cool if I did.**

**So, in this chapter, I will be introducing everyone's favorite character from **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_**. If you have played the game, you will know who I am talking about.**

* * *

Chapter 2: The Black Sword

"You idiot!" The shadow was nearly screaming in rage. "Why would you deny me the perfect shadow?!"

"Did you really think I was just going to stand there and let you ruin this boy's life?" Rosalyn asked. "As much of a pain you are, Stan, I would rather have my shadow possessed than to let you take someone else's."

"Th-that's not fair! The boy won, so his shadow is mine! I demand a retry!"

"You can't."

"Why not?"

"You said that _one_ of us, meaning everyone in the room, was to enter into an agreement with you. You taking my shadow solidifies that agreement."

"But—but—James, help me out here!"

James seemed hesitant to say anything. He said, "Um…er, well, on the one hand, it violates the rules of the contest, but…I think the judges should really decide."

The two ghosts hovered close to each other and whispered to each other. They then withdrew and faced James. They were quick to give their answer.

"Bluh, boo boo." The red ghost said.

"Pshew, pshew, shchchchch." The white ghost seemed to be laughing.

"Oh…I see." James turned to his master and told him, "I'm so sorry, master, but their word is final: the contest ends when you take someone's shadow."

" '_Someone's_ shadow'?!" Stan said angrily. "Not 'the winner's shadow'?!"

"Buh…boo." Said the red ghost.

"Schchchchch." The white ghost laughed.

Both ghosts vanished.

"I'm sorry master," James lowered his head, "but it seems like the judges weren't too specific in wording the rules."

"There." Rosalyn placed a hand on her hip. "You're stuck with me, Stanley."

Stan put his claws on his head and snarled in frustration. He glared and said, "Very well, but know this: I am going to make you so miserable that you'd wish-."

"Hold on!" The father stepped forward. "What about Annie? You said you would cure her."

"Oh…yes, I did. Well, then, I might as well start by showing you just how awesome my power is!"

* * *

Everyone went upstairs to Annie's room. As he said he would, Stan went to work on removing the curse from Annie. He murmured something and Annie's body glowed white for a few seconds. Ari didn't know what he was expecting, but he was sure it was going to take longer than a few seconds.

When Stan was done, he said, "Well, that should do it. Wake up, girl!"

Annie blinked a few times and sat up in her bed. She asked, "Did it work?"

She gasped and jumped out of bed. She exclaimed, "I'm cured! I can talk normally again!"

"Oh thank God." The mother looked like she was about to shed tears of joy.

"Hey!" Stan snapped. "You should be thanking _me_ here!"

"Yes, yes, we should." The father agreed. "You have done us a great favor, Stan."

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right honey." The grandmother was obviously in agreement.

"Huh?" The grandfather raised an eyebrow. "Annie? What happened to your shadow?"

"Huh?" Annie looked down and gasped.

Everyone now noticed that her shadow was no longer black, but bright pink. Personally, Ari thought it was funny. Annie thought otherwise.

"No!" Annie cried out. "My shadow! Why is my shadow pink?!"

Stan chuckled, "Well, I never said I _wouldn't_ turn your shadow pink."

"You fiend!" Rosalyn shook her fist at Stan.

"Well, consider it payback for what you did to me!"

"That's my master." James said. "Always so perfectly evil."

"Nooo!" Annie wailed. "Now I'll never get married! Oh, why me?! My shadow!"

Ari was getting fed up with all the commotion his sister was making, so he left the room, thinking that no one would notice him leave. He went to his room, which was unfortunately next to his sister's room, and decided to go to bed. He lay in his bed awake for several hours, his sister's complaining keeping him from falling asleep. He figured it was around midnight when his sister finally quieted down. After a long night, he fell asleep.

* * *

Ari woke up the next morning and went down to the kitchen for breakfast. Like every day, his mother was up before him, making breakfast for the whole family. He greeted his mother, "Good morning."

The mother, who was making omelets, turned from the stove and greeted back, "Oh, morning honey. Did you sleep well?"

Ari nodded.

"I'm glad. After all that happened last night, I was afraid you wouldn't get enough sleep."

_So all that really happened_, Ari thought.

He thought back to Rosalyn and what she did for him last night. He felt like he had to thank her for that self-sacrifice. He also wanted to know why she did it, and how she knew about Stan and the bottle. He asked his mother, "Where's Rosalyn?"

"She's sleeping on the couch in the parlor." His mother answered as she returned to cooking the omelets.

Ari left the kitchen and went to the parlor. He saw that Rosalyn was already awake and sitting on the couch. She was still holding the parasol above her head and she looked lost in thought. Ari walked up to her and asked, "Rosalyn?"

She sighed, but didn't answer. She blinked slowly and lifted her head up. She was startled when she saw Ari looking at her.

"Ari?" She asked. "How long were you there?"

"Not long." He answered.

"Is there something you need?"

"Well…"

Ari sat in one of the chairs. He asked, "Why did you take my place last night?"

"Oh, that." Rosalyn lowered her head again. "Well, no matter how things were going to work out, something bad was going to happen to someone in this family. I still felt bad for what happened to your sister, so I thought this would be the best way to redeem myself."

Ari said softly, "Thank you." He then asked, "So, you know Stan?"

"Of course I know her!" A familiar voice said.

Stan emerged from Rosalyn's shadow and explained, "Months ago, this woman found my bottle and uncorked it. I was cooped up for so long, I was willing to take anyone's shadow. I tried to make her obey me, like she should have been doing from the start, but she wouldn't listen!"

"You really thought a hero would obey someone as evil as you?" Rosalyn asked.

"Anyways," Stan raised his voice, "she wouldn't listen, so I gave her as much hell as I could. I got her kicked out of that Hero's Association she's obsessed about and made her the laughing stock of everyone!" He laughed evilly.

"He ruined my life," Rosalyn lowered her voice, "so I felt like I…"

"So this mopey woman tried to take her own life! Of course, if she were to do that, I wouldn't have a host, so I went back into the bottle, but, heh heh, not before leaving a little something behind."

Ari was shocked. So Rosalyn was Stan's previous host, and she had tried to kill herself because of what he did to her. Now that she was his host again, would she try to reattempt suicide? He now felt guilty for Rosalyn saving him from his supposed fate.

"You know how Annie now has a pink shadow?" Rosalyn asked. "When he left, he turned my shadow pink. Since then, I've been carrying this parasol to hide it. Somehow, I was able to make it through."

She lowered her parasol. When her shadow, or rather, Stan, was unobstructed by the parasol's shadow, something strange happened. Before Ari and Rosalyn's very eyes, he spontaneously turned bright pink. Their eyes widened and they gaped.

"What?" Stan asked. "Have you finally seen just how terrifying my presence is?"

A smile stretched across Ari's face. He had never wanted to laugh so much before. Rosalyn also smiled and let out a chuckle. That chuckle quickly turned into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Stan was not amused.

"You…" Rosalyn couldn't finish what she was saying through her now explosive laughter.

"You're pink." Ari said.

"What?" Stan narrowed his eyes. "Don't you dare make up…"

He looked at his claws and saw that they were pink. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He looked down and saw that all of him was pink, right down to where he was connected at Rosalyn's feet. He was silent for a moment, then…

"No!" He screamed. "No no no! Why am I, the Great Evil King Stan, _pink_?! James! James! Where are you, James?!"

A circle of white light appeared on the floor. James slowly rose out of it and the light disappeared. He asked, "Master, what…?"

He stared at his master. He was at a loss for words.

"James!" Stan shouted at his butler. "Wasn't the curse on this woman's shadow removed when I took over?"

"I thought so too, but that seems to not be the case." James covered his mouth to hide his emerging smile.

"Oh, not you too! I was fine yesterday, so why am I pink now?!"

"I assume it's because the Miss was holding her parasol over her shadow the whole time."

"Woman, put that parasol back up, now!"

"Why?" Rosalyn was grinning from ear to ear. "I think this is an actual improvement for you."

"No, no it's not!"

"Well… why not humor you?"

Rosalyn picked up her parasol and held it above her again. As quickly as he had turned pink, Stan was black once more.

"Hm," Rosalyn said, "I guess I'm not throwing this thing out after all."

"Between holding that silly parasol and me being pink," Stan said, "I would much rather have you hold that parasol."

"I'm glad we have found a solution for master." James said. "However, madam is cooking omelets, and I would much rather try them."

"Fine, fine," Stan waved a hand at his butler, "go have your breakfast."

James walked up to the door and, instead of opening it, phased right through it. Ari turned to face Rosalyn and asked, "What are you going to do now?"

"I think," Rosalyn said slowly, "this time around, I'll actually look for a way to get rid of Stan."

"Fool!" Stan laughed. "There is no way to get rid of me!"

"You never know until you try." She said to Ari, "I think I'll go to Tenel and stock up on supplies. After that, I'll begin my journey. Hm, now that I think about it, I haven't been on a journey in a long time. This should be…eventful."

Rosalyn stood up and announced, "I'll leave right away. Ari, tell your family 'thank you' for me, for letting me stay the night."

"Mom's cooking breakfast." Ari said. "She might be upset if you leave without eating."

"True. Okay, I'll at least stay for breakfast, then."

Stan retreated into Rosalyn's shadow and the two of them went to the kitchen. The mother was still cooking the omelets. Everyone but the father, who was already at work, was present at the table. The mother turned to Rosalyn and cheerfully greeted, "Good morning, Miss Rosalyn."

"Please," Rosalyn said, "you can drop the 'miss'."

"Ah, well…" The mother turned back to the stove and said, "Oh dear…we're out of eggs." She turned to Ari and asked, "Ari, dear, could you go to the store in town and quickly get some more eggs?"

She walked up to him and handed him some money. She added, "This should cover it. Hurry now, everyone's hungry."

Ari nodded slowly and left. Even after everything that happened last night, not much had changed. As soon as Rosalyn left, everything will be back to normal, with the exception of Annie's pink shadow. As far as he could tell, he would keep running errands like these for the rest of his life.

When he arrived at Tenel, he noticed that something was different. The owners of all the businesses in town were standing outside of their stores, and they did not look happy. Ari approached the owner of the general store and asked, "What happened?"

"All the stores are closed." The owner said glumly. "The water is out, so we can't run business."

"When is it going to open again?"

"Unless someone goes to the church and turns the water back on," the owner went on, "we can't serve anyone in Tenel."

Ari got the hint. The water supply pipe was in the basement of the church. He can just turn it back on real quick, get the eggs, and be home for breakfast. He crossed through the town until he reached the back end, where the church and administration office were. He opened the door to the church and went inside.

No one was inside. Ari glanced around and saw the door that supposedly led to the basement. He had never been to the church's basement before, so he can only guess that the only other door led to it. He felt like he was trespassing. Nevertheless, he opened the door and went downstairs.

The basement itself was made entirely of stone. There was a stone fountain at the bottom, though there was no water. Lined against the walls were pipes, most likely used to carry water. Next to the fountain was another door.

_Let's get this over with. _Ari thought to himself.

He opened the door and went into the next room. In it were stacked boxes and more pipes. There was also a valve that was connected to one of the pipes and a treasure chest. However, it was not the valve or the chest that caught Ari's attention.

Wandering in the room aimlessly was a red ghost. Ari froze in place. The owner of the store did not tell him that there was a ghost in the basement. Ari did not have a weapon, and he had never fought anything before. He was considering running when he saw something else.

On the floor was a black, two handed sword. Tied to its hilt with string was a red stone with a tear-shaped hole in it. The sword lay there like someone had dropped and forgotten about it. Why was there a sword there? Ari thought about using it at first, but quickly dismissed the thought. Even if he had any fighting ability, the sword looked too heavy for him to even lift.

He was about to run back when the ghost abruptly turned around and saw him. Ari's eyes widened.

"Buh? Boo buh?" The ghost asked.

Ari did not know how to answer. He stared at the ghost, waiting to see if it was going to do anything.

"Buuhhhh…" The ghost muttered. "Bluh!"

The red fog disappeared and was replaced with a white ghost with yellow eyes and long arms. Ari did not see this often, but ghosts would transform into something else when they were about to attack. He didn't know why, but they did. He was about to leave when the newly transformed ghost charged at him.

Ari ran back into the first room and stepped to the side. The ghost charged past him and missed its mark. He was in trouble now. He didn't think he would be able to outrun it. He thought about the sword and decided that trying to fight the thing would be a better option.

Before the ghost could turn around to charge again, Ari ran back into the other room. He grabbed the sword and found that even with both hands, it was heavy. He slowly raised the sword above his head and waited for the ghost to come to him.

The ghost charged once more, though it now clawed at the air as it moved. Ari swung the sword straight down, cleaving the ghost in half. The ghost vanished, leaving some money behind. That was another odd thing about ghosts: when defeated, they would either leave money or items behind.

Ari stared at where the ghost once was. It took a lot out of him just to swing the sword, but the ghost went down in one hit. Still, he actually did it. He had defeated a ghost, and he was having a hard time believing it. He was about to go pick up the money when he realized that something was wrong.

He could not let go of the sword. It was like his hands were glued to the hilt. He tried to shake it off when the sword began to glow with a black and red aura. Waves of energy flew out of it, knocking Ari off his feet.

_What's going on?_ Ari panicked thoughts raced through his head.

Maniacal laughter rang out in the room.

**Holy crap!** A voice shouted from nowhere. **It's about time someone came along!**

"Wha?" Ari felt like the voice was coming from the sword.

**So, let's see here…oh hell, don't tell me this wimpy kid is…**

The red stone attached to the hilt glowed crimson.

**Crap! Not again!**

The crimson light illuminated the room and Ari blacked out.

* * *

Ari was now hovering in darkness. He thought back to what had happened and considered the possibility that he was dead. If he was, though, where was this?

"You're not dead, kid." The voice answered his thoughts.

Ari looked up and saw that he was not alone in this darkness.

Hovering several feet above and looking down on him was a boy around his age, if not a little older. He was wearing a lavender shirt and black jeans. He also had white hair and eyes the color of cold steel. What stood out, though, was that there were two pieces of shoulder armor hovering on either side of him. With the way they were shaped, they could have almost been the wings of a demon.

"So I have to do the whole song and dance thing again?" The person asked. "Son of a bitch."

"Who are you?" Ari asked.

"Me? Just the most awesome asskicker you've ever seen in your life. I'm the commander of the World Eaters, the god of death, but you may call me Gig."

"Gig?"

"You have a hearing problem or something? Well, I _was_ in the middle of killing gods when _someone_ decided to seal me back in the sword and send me away. I don't know who did it, but I'm really going to give them hell when I find them!"

Gig hovered downwards until he was at level with Ari. Ari nervously backed away, but Gig only drifted towards him. Ari did not know who, or what, this guy was supposed to be, but he needed to get away.

"You look really weak." Gig noted. "I mean, your arms are like toothpicks for crying out loud! Oh well, a body is a body," he grinned, "and I want you to hand it over."

"My body?" Ari asked. "Why?"

"I can't do shit without a body, and there's a lot of killing to do. Just make it easier for both of us and give me your body."

"No!"

Gig stopped moving. He put a hand on his head and sighed, "Dammit. You really want to make this hard, do you? Tell you what: how about I give you some of my power in exchange for your body? "

This was similar to last night, except Ari had a choice in the matter this time around.

"I don't want your power." Ari answered. "I want you to go away."

"Too bad, kid!" Gig laughed. "Thanks to that Crimson Tear, we're bound together until one of us gives in, and it's not gonna be me! Get used to me, soulmate."

* * *

"Ari!" A familiar voice called out. "Ari!"

"He's not waking up any time soon," another familiar voice said, "so stop shaking him, you dumb woman."

Ari stirred and opened his eyes. He saw that he was still in the basement, and that he was not alone. Kneeling next to him was Rosalyn. Stan was also out, though he was ducking under Rosalyn's parasol so that he wouldn't turn pink again.

"Ari," Rosalyn said in a worried voice, "what happened?"

Ari sat up. He saw that the black sword was still in his hands, though the red stone was now absent. He found that he could now let go of the sword, so he did just that. He thought back to what had happened.

He had defeated a ghost, but then a voice came from the sword. The stone was shining and he passed out. He saw the spirit of the sword, Gig, and found out that it wanted his body. Was the spirit still in the sword?

"Ari?"

Ari finally answered, "I don't know."

"Why were you down here?" Rosalyn asked. "Didn't you hear that there was a ghost here?"

"No. I went to turn the water back on when I saw the ghost…and this sword. I was able to defeat it."

"You, beat a ghost?" Stan mocked him. "I doubt it. You look like you can't even beat a fly!"

"If Ari didn't defeat it," Rosalyn glanced around the room, "then where's the ghost now?"

"He probably fled or something."

"Well," Rosalyn faced Ari again, "it doesn't explain why you were out cold."

Ari looked at the sword and said, "There was something in the sword and…"

He hesitated. Would they believe him? After what happened last night, probably so. Still, something kept him from telling the whole story.

"And what?" Rosalyn asked.

"I passed out." Ari finally said. "It wanted my body, but I didn't let it."

"Hm," Stan pondered out loud, "that sword does seem pretty evil. Maybe something was sealed in it and you let it out. It looks like you got lucky, unlike a certain imbecile who decided to get in the way of things."

"Wait." Ari stood up. "Why are you two here?"

"Well, I decided that I might start my world conquest with this pathetic little town-."

"I wanted to get supplies for the journey," Rosalyn interrupted, "but I found out the stores were closed due to the water being cut off. I also heard that there was a ghost haunting the water control room-."

"And that it was eyeing the treasure in the basement. I wanted to see if the treasure would be something that would enhance my dark powers-."

"And to vanquish the ghost and restore the flow of water to the town. Then I found you unconscious on the floor-."

"And we're here now." Stan concluded.

Ari turned to face the valve and said, "Oh, the water."

"I got it." Rosalyn volunteered.

"Hold it!" Stan said. "You see that treasure chest? Open it up first!"

"Well, it _is_ a treasure chest…maybe a quick look wouldn't hurt."

Rosalyn walked up to the treasure chest and opened it. Ari decided that he might as well be the one to turn the valve. He walked up to it and gripped it with both hands. It was a little tough to turn it, but he managed to do it. The sound of water rushing could now be heard in the pipes.

"What is this?" He heard Stan ask.

Ari turned to see what was going on. Rosalyn held a strange looking device in her hand. Neither of them knew what it was.

"It's just a piece of junk!" Stan shouted. "Those villagers tricked me! They are going to pay for this!"

"I don't know what it is," Rosalyn admitted, "but if it's the village's treasure, we should leave it here."

She placed the device back into the chest and closed it. She looked at Ari and asked, "You turned the valve?"

He nodded.

"Then we're done here. I'm sure everyone will appreciate you destroying the ghost and restoring the water, Ari."

Stan retreated into Rosalyn's shadow and she made her way out of the room. Ari looked at the sword. It had helped him with the ghost, but he really didn't want anything to do with it. He went over to the coins on the floor, scooped it up, and pocketed them. He started to follow Rosalyn.

_Hey, what the hell are you doing?_

Ari stopped. Those thoughts were definitely in his head, but they were not his own. He knew that the voice behind those thoughts sounded like the spirit in the sword.

_Don't leave that sword behind!_

Ari looked at the sword and shook his head.

_Dumbass. You can't leave a good weapon like that behind!_

"You tried to take my body." Ari pointed out. "I'm not giving you another chance."

_Are you really that slow? I told you: we're bound together until one of us gives in._

The realization hit Ari like a brick to the face.

_You get it now?_

"But…how?"

_That Crimson Tear sealed me in your body. Unless you want to give up your body now, we're going to be together for a loooong time._

"No…" Ari shook his head. "No! Get out of me!"

_Are you kidding me? Even if I was retarded enough to want to leave this body, I can't._

Ari was now panicking. He knew this thing was evil, possibly even more evil than Stan. He had narrowly escaped having his shadow possessed last night, but now he had something worse inside his body. He felt like fate was toying with him.

_Anyways, grab that sword. You're going to need it._

Ari approached the sword. He slowly bent down and picked it up. For some reason, he had no trouble lifting it up, unlike last time. It wasn't that the sword felt lighter or anything. No, it felt like he had more strength in his arms.

_I bet you're wondering how you can even lift that with your toothpick arms, am I right? I hate to say this, but with your wimpy form, I had to give you some of my power just so that you can even _use_ that thing properly._

"I told you," Ari said, "I don't want your power."

_But you like having what little power I gave you. Believe me, kid, I _know_._

It was true. Ari was glad that he now had the strength to lift the sword. He really didn't want to take the sword, but he never knew what he was going to use it for. So, with the black sword in hand, he left the church basement.

When he exited the church, he was greeted with an unusual scene.

All the villagers had gathered outside of the church, and they were crowding around Rosalyn. Stan was present, yelling angrily at some villagers that were laughing at him. To make things worse for him, Rosalyn had her parasol lowered, so everyone saw the shadow in the pink.

"Oh man!" One villager laughed. "That's hilarious, Miss Hero!"

"Aha…ha…ooh, my stomach…!"

"'Evil King Stan'? I didn't think heroes were such kidders!"

"You!" Stan shouted and pointed at one villager. "Stop laughing!"

But everyone kept laughing. No one had even seemed to notice that Ari had also come out of the church. All of their attention was focused on Rosalyn and Stan.

_Is that… a talking pink shadow?_ Gig thought.

"Yes." Ari answered.

_That's freakin' hilarious._

Ari had to actually agree.

It took minutes for the villagers to disperse. Stan was depressed and Rosalyn stood rooted in place, her head lowered. Ari walked up to her and asked, "What happened?"

"They heard that I was going to vanquish the ghost." Rosalyn explained without lifting her head up. "They came to congratulate me, then Stan showed up and went on about how such horrible people they were and that they should bow before him. I lowered my parasol so that these people would mock him, but it partially backfired."

"They thought it was all that woman's doing!" Stan sounded exasperated. "They thought I was just some trick she came up with to make them all laugh."

"So, we were both mocked."

Stan sighed, "I'm tired and emotionally wounded. Slave, if you're going to leave town, you better leave now."

"I'm not your slave!" Rosalyn snapped her head up.

"Rosalyn?" Ari spoke up.

"You are my slave if I say so!" Stan countered.

"Just because you haunt my shadow doesn't mean that I have to do what you say!"

"Rosalyn?" Ari tried again.

Again, he went unheard. Stan and Rosalyn continued their bickering. Ari thought that he should try again once they stopped.

_You are more pathetic than I thought._

"I'm used to this." Ari muttered.

_Used to this? Kid, you need to make yourself known, like…_

**Would you two just shut the hell up already?!**

Stan and Rosalyn fell silent and turned to face Ari. They wore faces of surprise, as did Ari. Gig's voice came from him, yet he didn't open his mouth.

"Ari?" Rosalyn asked. "Was that you?"

Ari shook his head. He said, "Something else happened."

* * *

**Next time, the plot kicks off.**

**I know you guys have a lot of questions about what's going on, but they'll be answered as the story progresses.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Journey

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Zener Work's **_**Okage Shadow King**_** or Nippon Ichi Software's **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_**.**

* * *

Chapter 3: The Journey

Ari explained to the hero and Evil King what had happened when they had left the church.

"So, that voice was Gig?" Rosalyn asked.

**Damn right that was me.**

"Why do you want Ari's body?"

**Ugh, kid, you tell them. I don't feel like explaining again.**

So Ari told Rosalyn and Stan what Gig had told him earlier.

"You said there was 'killing' to do?" Rosalyn asked. "Who are you planning to kill?"

**Oh, let's see…how about, everyone in the world? Hahahahaha!**

"I won't let you!"

Rosalyn suddenly pulled out her rapier and pointed it at Ari.

"Rosalyn?" Ari was shocked.

** Hey hey hey! Get that away! Kid, do something!**

"Ari, I'm sorry, but if this thing really means what he says, then I can't allow him to live."

"How hypocritical of you, hero." Stan said to Rosalyn. "If you're going to kill the boy over that, you might as well try to kill yourself again."

Rosalyn gritted her teeth. She let out a sigh of defeat and lowered her sword. She muttered, "I'm sorry, Ari. I wasn't thinking about what you wanted."

Ari cautiously approached her and said, "You said you were going on a journey to find a way to get rid of Stan. If there is a way…I…"

"I see." Stan said. "Woman, this boy wants to go with you on your futile quest."

"I get that." Rosalyn said.

"Maybe," Ari said with a little hope in his voice, "maybe there's also a way to get rid of Gig."

_You're thinking about doing a stupid thing, kid. _Gig thought to Ari. _If you knew just how much power I have, you wouldn't want to get rid of me._

"Yes…" Rosalyn sheathed her rapier. "There must be. Ari, we might as well go together. It wouldn't be a quest without other people. Okay, I'll get those supplies. You tell your family what's happened."

Ari nodded. He and Rosalyn made their way back into the heart of Tenel. Rosalyn went ahead and stopped at the general store while Ari went to the front gate. However, there was a large man with a terrified expression blocking the gate.

"Uh…" Ari muttered.

"Oh! So scary!" The man shuddered. "Evil Kings have been popping up all over the world! And they're even worse than ghosts! Brrrr! Scary!"

_Evil Kings? _Ari thought. _Like Stan?_

_ You're talking about that shadow? _Gig thought. _That thing is an Evil King? You're kidding, right?_

Ari jumped a little. How did Gig know what he was thinking?

_We share everything now. Nothing's a secret to me, heh heh._

The scared man went on, "It's so scary! That man in the bar is giving away Maps-O-Evil Kings. Brrr!"

"Excuse me?" Came Stan's voice.

Ari turned around and saw Rosalyn and Stan again. They had apparently just heard the last bit of conversation.

"Are you suggesting that there are more Evil Kings than moi?" Stan glared at the scared man. "How dare you! I am the only Evil King here!"

"But that guy at the bar is telling the truth!" The scared guy exclaimed. "Brrr!"

"We'll see about that! Slave, go find the one who's spreading these lies!"

"I am curious, too." Rosalyn admitted. "I have never heard of any other Evil Kings, aside from this doofus."

Stan retreated into Rosalyn's shadow as she made her way to the bar. Ari turned to face the scared guy and saw that he wasn't moving from his spot.

"Um…" He said. "Can I get through?"

"So scary…" The scared guy was lost in his thoughts.

_Do I have to speak up for you every time?_

"No," Ari said, "I can do it." He tried again, "Sir, I need to get by."

The scared guy continued to shiver and mumble in fear. Gig was quick to lose his patience with him.

**Move your ass already, you chickenshit!**

"What?!" The scared guy nearly jumped out of his skin. "A ghost!"

He screamed and ran off. The gate was now unobstructed.

_You just need to do things my way, kid. _Gig thought. _Works every time._

"Your way is mean." Ari stated.

_Oh, and what are you going to do, tell mommy?_

Ari did not answer. He was about to leave through the gate when someone called out, "Ari."

He turned around and was surprised to see Julia. She walked up to him, but did not look at him in the eye. She said, "I need to talk to you."

"What is it?" Ari asked.

Still refusing to look at him, she said, "I…liked you."

"'Liked'?" Ari did not like that she was using the past tense.

"You were my ideal guy. You were the type who wouldn't mind if I made cold mashed potatoes, or wouldn't say anything if I went on a shopping spree. You were quiet and docile, but…" She shook her head. "You're a fool."

"A fool?" Ari was puzzled.

"I heard you talking to that man. You couldn't be yourself, so you used a different voice to talk to him. You're trying to act tough, and I don't like it."

_Is she talking about me? _Gig asked.

"I can't be around someone like that, so…goodbye!"

Julia turned around and ran off, leaving Ari stunned. Just like that, she had dumped him. He lowered his head.

"Gig?" He asked.

_Yeah, what?_

"I…I really…"

_Just spit it out already!_

But Ari never did.

* * *

When he got home, he had to explain to his family what had happened at the church and why he never got the eggs. Having been in town and hearing what had happened, his father left work and also came back home. Ari also explained that he was going with Rosalyn on her journey. However, rather than being concerned that Ari had an evil spirit inside him, they were excited that he was leaving the house and going on an adventure.

"Oh, my little boy is going on an adventure!" His mother beamed.

"I'm proud of you, son." The father said approvingly. "This adventure should be a good experience for you."

"You know, your father and I used to be adventurers ourselves. We met on our travels and look at us now! Oh, that reminds me, I need to get something for you. I'll be back really quick."

Ari's mother rushed upstairs. The front door opened and Rosalyn came in. She noticed that just about everyone was present. She asked Ari, "Did you tell them everything?"

Ari nodded. Rosalyn said, "There's been a slight change of plans on my end."

Stan emerged from her shadow and explained, "Apparently, there are several low class beings that stole my power while I was in that bottle. Now they're going about claiming that they're Evil Kings. My slave and I will find these maggots, punish them, get my magical power back, and conquer the world while we're at it."

"You didn't say anything about conquering the world!"

"I'm an Evil King; of course I'm going to conquer the world!"

"Oh Master Stan!" James cried out with joy. "You truly are the reincarnation of the Great Evil King Gohma! I-I'm so proud to serve as your butler!"

"No," Rosalyn frowned, "the plan is this: we get these Evil Kings, you get your power and original form back, and then I kill you."

"When that time comes," Stan said, "I'll be the one to kill you!"

_Just what is their deal? _Gig thought to Ari.

_I'll tell you later. _Ari thought back.

"It sounds like you are going to have an interesting adventure." Ari's grandfather noted.

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right, honey." The grandmother agreed.

"I'm actually kinda jealous." Annie admitted.

The mother came back down to the foyer with a little red box in her hands. She walked up to Ari and said, "Here, take this with you."

Ari took the box and opened it. There was nothing inside, but a beautiful little tune played from it. He knew it was his mother's music box, but why would she give it to him?

"Your father gave this to me when we first met." His mother explained. "I'm hoping you'll find that special someone on your travels. When you do find her, give it to her."

Ari doubted he would find anyone, especially after being dumped by Julia. Still, he thanked his mother and put the box away.

His father stepped forward and said, "I have something to give you too."

He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Ari. Ari looked at and frowned. It was his dad's business card, advertising his position of assistant manager at the Classification Office in Tenel.

"I'm sure you'll meet a lot of important people along the way," his father said, "so it might be good to hang on to this. Who knows, you might even be able to get into some private clubs!" He gave a small laugh.

Ari muttered his thanks.

"Are you done already?" Stan voiced his frustration. "We need to get going!"

"Yes, yes," the father agreed, "I guess we have been keeping you two here for a while."

"Ari," the grandfather said, "remember, this is your home. You can come back any time you want to."

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right honey." The grandmother nodded.

"Ari," his mother joined in, "don't drink dirty water, mind your manners, and please-."

**Alright alright, we get it already!**

"Hm? Was that the new friend you mentioned?"

Ari cringed slightly and answered, "He's not-."

**Of course we're not friends! I'm just sticking around until this kid gives up his body.**

His father laughed and said, "Well, it looks like you're going to get along just fine."

_What is wrong with your family? _Gig thought.

Ari did not answer Gig, but told his family, "I'll come back."

He and Rosalyn went to the front door. Just as they left the house, they could hear the whole family shout, "Good luck!"

They had arrived at the intersection when Rosalyn said, "Wait a minute, Ari."

He stopped and asked, "What is it?"

"You've been carrying that sword in your hand this whole time, haven't you? Didn't it come with a scabbard or belt straps?"

"No."

"There's a blacksmith's in town. I think we should get something for that sword."

Stan emerged and groaned, "All these distractions! Well, hurry it up!"

They both ignored Stan. They went back to Tenel and stopped at the blacksmith's. The blacksmith saw them enter and he recognized both of them.

"Oh, Ari," he greeted, "and the hero of Tenel, too! How can I help you?"

"He needs straps for his sword." Rosalyn answered.

Ari placed his sword on the counter for the blacksmith to see. He examined it closely and said, "I've never seen a sword like this, but sure, I can find something for this. I'll be right back."

The blacksmith went to the back of the store. He shortly returned with some leather belt straps. He placed them on the counter and said, "Try these out."

Rosalyn helped place the straps on Ari. Because of the sword's size, he would have to carry it on his back. He picked up the sword and slid it behind his back until the hilt caught the loop of the belt. He felt the sword's weight and he was surprised he didn't topple over.

The blacksmith was apparently thinking the same thing, as he asked, "Can you walk with that on?"

Ari took a few steps around the store. The extra weight slowed him down some, but he was able to walk fine. He wished he could see himself now. In a single day, he had transformed from an errand boy to a starting adventurer.

_ You should really be thanking me for what little power I gave you._ Gig thought.

_I…I guess…_Ari hesitantly thought back.

_If you ever want any more, you know who to talk to. Hehehe…_

Trying to ignore Gig's words, Ari told the blacksmith, "This is fine."

"Great," the blacksmith nodded, "that'll be two hundred sukel."

Ari had completely forgotten about the price. He had some of his allowance money on him, but it was not enough to pay for the belts. Thankfully, Rosalyn stepped forward and placed a fistful of coins on the counter.

"That should take care of it." She said.

The blacksmith counted the money and nodded. Ari thanked the blacksmith and left with Rosalyn. They made their way out of town and traveled down the path leading away. They passed the grounds the circus was at and they left the woods that bordered the area.

Before them was a vast, bumpy expansion of land with a river. Over that river was a bridge, which they crossed. Rosalyn walked on without hesitation, but Ari took his time to take in his surroundings. Because of the ghosts, he never strayed far. In fact, this was the first time he went past the circus grounds, so all of this was new to him.

_This place… _Gig thought to himself. _What is this world…? And what about-?_

_ Gig? _Ari thought.

_What? Did you change your mind?_

_ No, it's just…you said "this world"._

_ Huh? Oh, that. Yeah, I'm from another world. Do you want to make a big deal out of it?_

Ari thought nothing back. He felt like he might have touched a nerve. Still, the whole thing made him curious. What was Gig's world like? Why was he here and not there?

_I have no clue, _Gig answered his thoughts, _but I am going to kill whoever the hell did this._

Ari and Rosalyn had been walking for a good number of minutes when they saw three ghosts up ahead. Rosalyn unsheathed her rapier and said to Ari, "You want to get some practice in?"

Ari nodded and took out his sword. The ghosts now noticed the duo and transformed. Two took on the form of giant onions with sharp teeth and one turned into a disfigured frog. They all moved in to attack.

Rosalyn rushed forward and took out the onions in a single swing. The frog moved past her and went straight for Ari, who stood in place. Ari lifted his sword with ease and swung it. The frog went down in one hit. The ghosts vanished and left tiny piles of money behind.

When the fight was over, Stan emerged and asked, "That's it? These low class beings are weaker than I thought!"

Rosalyn sheathed her rapier and said, "Let's just be glad there aren't any more."

As soon as she said that, five more ghosts appeared, all of them taking the form of carnivorous onions.

"You just had to open your big mouth." Stan said.

**That's just fine. **Gig spoke. **I've been itching to kill for a while now.**

Rosalyn took out one of the onions, but the rest dog-piled on her. Ari rushed forward and took out two onions with one swing. Rosalyn struck one of the remaining onions and kicked the other one off of her. Ari went ahead and finished the last onion.

Six more ghosts appeared.

"Run for it!" Rosalyn shouted.

She and Ari both ran away, but the ghosts were hot on their heels.

"Why are there so many?" Ari shouted.

"They swarm when they can!" Rosalyn answered.

**These things are weak, so why the hell are you running away?**

"You don't know these ghosts! They can overpower you really quick if you aren't careful!"

The ghosts transformed into three yellow bunnies, two chickens, and a yellow bull.

**Really? You're running from **_**these**_** things? Kid, just take them out already.**

Ari didn't listen and just kept running. The bull charged ahead of the other ghosts and rammed into him, knocking him several feet forward. Rosalyn stopped and took out her rapier, deciding that they would have to stand their ground here.

Ari turned around and saw that the bull was charging at him again. He rolled to the side, dodging the charge. He got to his feet and readied his sword to strike. The bull skidded to a halt, made a 180 turn, and charged again. Ari swung his sword downwards, hitting the bull, but not killing it. The hit didn't even slow itdown, as it trampled over him. Ari clutched onto his chest and moaned in pain.

**Son of a bitch, that hurt! Kid, get up! It's coming back!**

Ari sat up and saw that Gig was right: the bull was charging back at him. He had no time to get back to his feet. He held his sword straight in front of the bull, hoping it would be smart enough to move and give him time to recover.

The bull, however, continued to run straight forward. Ari closed his eyes and braced himself. He felt the sword push back against him, its hilt jabbing him in the gut. He opened his eyes and couldn't believe what he saw.

The bull had skewered itself on his blade. It was there for only a few seconds before it vanished and left a small nut behind. Ari looked around for Rosalyn and saw her fighting off two bunnies. Coins on the ground were evidence that she had defeated the other ghosts. Ari got up and ran to help her. However, by the time he arrived by her side, the other ghosts were vanquished.

Rosalyn was panting hard. She let out a loud sigh of relief and she sheathed her rapier once more. Ari saw that she beaten and tired, just like he was. She asked Ari, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Ari put away his sword. This movement made him wince in pain.

"No, you're not alright. Come on, we're almost to the next town."

They gathered the coins and nut and made their way once more. More ghosts had appeared, but the fight wasn't as bad as the last one. Finally, they had arrived in a small canyon, with giant gears blocking their way. Ari was wondering how they were going to get past them when Rosalyn stepped forward.

The gears suddenly turned. Ari saw that they had large gaps in them. The gears stopped turning when the gaps were on ground level. The way was now clear. Rosalyn walked through the openings, with Ari following close behind. Once they were through, the gears rotated back to their original positions.

The place they were in was very different than Tenel.

There were large buildings, metal walkways, and gears that never stopped turning. The whole area was gray, with the buildings bearing little color. Smoke was in the air, obstructing the view of the sky. The only sound that filled the air was the grinding of the gears.

"What is this?" Ari asked.

"It's Madril." Rosalyn said. "Back in Tenel, I saw that ringleader from the circus and he gave me a 'Map o' Evil Kings'." She took out a scroll of paper and unrolled it. She continued, "I only glanced at earlier, but the first Evil King should be here. Let's see… 'A sign of the Evil King in the City of Steel to the southeast. It seems the Evil King is moving eerily and lurking in the dark.' …What kind of map is this?"

Ari looked over her shoulder. It was a sketch map of the world, but certain locations were labeled with numbers. Off to the side was a legend that describes each number. What Rosalyn had read was from the legend next to the number one.

"It's like a riddle." Ari observed.

Stan emerged and snarled, "Why can't this map be more straightforward? Ugh, Slave and Slave number two, go out and gather information on this Evil King!"

"Slave number two?"

"That's you, boy. If you're with us, you might as well be my second slave."

**We're no one's slave. If anything, you should be **_**my**_** slave!**

"Silence! I can't even see you for what you really are, you weakling!"

**At least I have a body, you pathetic shadow!**

"Foul-mouthed ghost!"

**I'm not a ghost, asshole! I am Gig, the baddest of the bad, the maddest of the mad, the killer of kings and destroyer of worlds! No one is as strong or badass as I am!**

"You really don't know who I am, do you? I am Master Stanley Hihat Trinidad XIV, the reincarnation and successor of the Great Evil King Gohma! I am-!"

"Shut up!" Rosalyn finally snapped. "Both of you are such big pains!"

Ari silently agreed. All of this shouting and arguing, plus the beating he got earlier, were giving him a headache. Both Stan and Gig fell silent, though Stan wouldn't stop glaring at Ari.

Rosalyn spoke up, "The first thing we should do is rest up. After that, we'll go look for the first Evil King."

Ari nodded. He followed Rosalyn to one of the closest buildings. He saw that it was an inn when they went inside. Rosalyn went up to the guest book and signed them both in. The clerk led them to their rooms and bade them a good stay.

Ari went to his room and he immediately went to the bed. He had some trouble removing the belt straps that held his scabbard, but he was able to do so after some time. He climbed onto the bed and rested his head on the pillow.

It wasn't even midday, and Ari was already exhausted. The last few hours were tiring for him. Last night was eventful enough, but today didn't compare. He thought things would return to normal, but since he found that sword in the church basement, things had been anything but normal. First he got an evil spirit living in his body, now he was on an adventure to vanquish the Evil Kings and find a way to save himself.

_What have I gotten myself into? _Ari thought to himself.

_I wonder the same thing, kid, _Gig thought, _but heck, it might be fun. Keep me entertained, soulmate._

Ari sighed and closed his eyes.

* * *

**Next time, Ari and co. fight their first Evil King.**

**When writing fanfiction, sometimes you have to do some research. For example, I had to look up more information on two handed swords.**

**Oh, by the way, this is me writing author's notes, not Gig speaking. Just throwing that out there…heheheh.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Sewer Evil King

**Disclaimer: Do I own Zener Work's **_**Okage Shadow King**_** or Nippon Ichi Software's **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_**? No.**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Sewer Evil King

_The souls are in pain. How could a god be this cruel? For their sake…Vigilance, I'm so sorry…_

* * *

Ari woke up. He had had an odd dream just seconds ago. He didn't see anything, but he did hear a woman speaking. He didn't recognize the voice, but it seemed like Gig did.

"_Vigilance"? _Gig thought. _It can't be…_

_ Do you know something about that dream? _Ari thought.

_Yeah, that was my dream, and you saw it! Eavesdropping on my dreams, you're just like her._

_ Like who?_

_ Forget it. It doesn't concern you._

Ari got up and strapped the sword to his back. Though it might have only been a few hours, he still felt like he had a nice rest. He decided to go see if Rosalyn was up.

_Still, _Gig thought to himself, _I don't remember that. What does it mean?_

Ari left his room and went to the one Rosalyn was staying in. He knocked on the door. On the other side, Rosalyn opened it up.

"What is it, Ari?" She asked.

"I'm ready to go." He said.

"Right. I'll get everything together. You can go on ahead."

She shut the door. Ari left the hotel and wondered where he should go. With this being his first visit to Madril, he didn't know where to start. He noticed a building with a sign that read "Madril Town Hall". He figured he would start there.

Inside, there were workers tending to all of the counters, though there were very few visitors. He approached one of the counters and asked, "Excuse me?"

The man behind the counter was busy looking through some paperwork. Ari looked for a bell or something to get the man's attention, but there was no such thing. He didn't want Gig to shout something rude and profane again, so he knocked on the countertop.

The man lifted his head and asked disinterestedly, "Can I help you?"

"I heard there is an Evil King here." Ari said.

"Oh, yes, the Classification list of 'Evil King' came in yesterday. There are…" He turned to another man sitting at one of the other counters and asked, "How many Evil Kings are there?"

The second man looked through a stack of papers and said, "Six, but the list says there's a possibility of there being more."

The first man told Ari, "The only one that has made itself known is the Sewer Evil King, and it's right here in Madril. That thing is a big nuisance, really. Someone's been putting recruitment posters for this guy, and it took us all night to take them down. The only one that's left is over there." He pointed to the wall on the right.

Ari turned his head to look at the poster. It was large, with writing in big letters. It read: "I am the 'Sewer Evil King'. I plan to conquer the world. I am doing evil things in the underground sewer. Currently wanted: Evil monsters and young people with cool haircuts; come apply. Must be into: world conquest and punk music, positive attitude is a plus."

_Evil monsters? World conquest? Punk music? _Gig mentally questioned. _This guy is just asking to get killed._

"Where's the entrance to the sewer?" Ari asked.

"The sewer? Oh, don't worry about it. The Hero's Association is going to take care of the Evil King. They've been recruiting heroes from all over to take on the task."

"Is there room for us?" Came Rosalyn's voice.

Ari turned around and saw Rosalyn standing right behind him.

"I think the list is full." The man answered. "You're going to have to check with that guy over there."

He pointed to other end of the building, where an armored man, most likely a hero, was standing in front of a door. Rosalyn went up to him and said, "Let me in."

"I'm sorry," the hero said, "but there are enough heroes here already."

"But they're going to take on the Evil King, aren't they?"

"Yes, everyone's taking turns-."

"Taking turns?! This is ridiculous! Let me through!"

Rosalyn shoved her way past the hero. Ari was about to follow her when he heard someone shout, "Has the list been updated?!"

He turned to the direction the new voice was coming from. Standing in front of one of the counters was an older man with a mustache and messy hair. He wore a white lab coat and long socks. This character was one of the stranger people Ari has seen since all of this began, but he didn't know if he would call him the strangest.

The man behind the counter groaned, "Hello again, Mr. Kisling."

"Surely you must have finally added all the classes of ghosts to your Classification list?!" Kisling asked eagerly.

"I've already told you, Mr. Kisling, there is no Classification for ghosts. To Classify these things would be as pointless as Classifying plants."

"But everything has meaning in this world, even ghosts and plants! They all exist for a reason! Trees must do more than provide wood, flowers more for smell—but no, I'm not talking about plants; I'm talking about ghosts! How did they come to be? How is it they can transmogrify themselves into corporeal forms? Why are they so violent against humans?"

He suddenly turned to look at Ari. He rushed over to him and asked, "You agree with me, don't you, boy?!"

Ari took a step back. Why was this man talking to him? He only asked, "Who are you?"

"Me?" Kisling became enthusiastic. "Why, I am the famous ghost expert, Gutten Kisling, and my hobby is clipping toenails!"

Ari really didn't know how to answer to that.

"My main concern is the lack of Classification among the supradimensional non-corporeal, malicious beings that exude into the observable planes. These beings of the unknown dimensions must be taken into account of the…"

This man, Kisling, reminded Ari of his dad, except this guy actually seemed to know what he was talking about.

_Just as long as he doesn't start talking about theories…_ Ari hopefully thought.

"As for why ghosts are invading the corporeal planes," Kisling went on, "I have several theories that might explain these extraordinary, yet dangerous phenomenon. One theory to explain the mass quantities is that they might relate to the worldwide decline of the human birthrate, but that is not-."

**Just shut your trap already! We don't want to hear any more of your scientific crap!**

"Now this is interesting!" Kisling's eyes seem to sparkle. "A disembodied voice comes from your direction, yet you do not open your lips! Either you are a very good ventriloquist who is pulling my leg, or…no, wait…yes! You must be possessed by a ghost!"

Ari tried to explain, "That's not exa-."

**A ghost? I am not a ghost, and I'm not possessing the kid either!**

"I see, I see!" Kisling was still enthusiastic. "So you are not a ghost, but an unidentified symbiont! As interesting as this is, however, it is not within my fields of sciences. Feel free to contact my colleagues on the second floor if you require biological experimentation. I, on the other hand, have to keep up with my schedule! Well then, to Madril's second floor exit!"

With that said, Kisling ran out of the building. Ari's mind was still recovering from the strange event, as was Gig's.

_Just…what the hell?_

"I don't know." Ari admitted.

Ari now realized that it had been awhile since Rosalyn left. He walked up to the hero who was guarding the door to the back. From behind the door, he could hear a lot of people talking and arguing. The hero muttered to himself, "This is all just too hectic."

"Excuse me." Ari piped up.

"Huh? What do you want, kid?"

"Can I get by?"

"You know the Hero's Association is in the back, right? That means only heroes are…oh, what the heck. Someone already got by me today, so what's one more going to matter? You can see the chaos that's going on inside."

The hero stepped aside and opened the door. The commotion became much louder and Ari could see what was going on inside. There were a little over a dozen people in armor present, but there was no sign of Rosalyn. Lying on the floor was a man in business attire. When Ari approached him, he could see that he had a red mark on the side of his face.

"Eh?" The mad slowly turned his head to look at Ari. "There are no more positions for the Evil King Punishment Expedition, so please, don't beat me up."

"I wouldn't beat you up." Ari said. He then asked, "Who did that to you?"

"Oh, that…that lady with the pink parasol, I think her name was Rosalyn, she wanted to know where the Sewer Evil King was. She was really angry, so I told her that I would make her an exception and give her a number. She wasn't happy…but then the darnest thing happened: her shadow talked. I said something about it and, well, I'll admit: she has quite the slap. I wouldn't get on her bad side if I were you, hee hee hee…I think I'll take a nap now…"

The man rolled his head to the side and fell unconscious. Ari looked around to see if there was anywhere Rosalyn could have gone to. He saw a door at the very back and figured she must have left through there. He went to the door and tried to open it, but found that it was locked.

"You can't open that." A nearby hero in iron armor said. "That's where the groups leave to go to the sewer."

"Did a woman in a pink parasol come through here?" Ari asked.

"Her? Yes, she was shoved into Group A at the last minute. They left just a minute ago."

"I need to get through."

"Are you with Group B?"

"No, but-."

**Yes, we're with them.**

_Gig!_

_ Just play along or we'll never get anywhere._

"What was that voice?" The hero asked. Before Ari could say anything, he shrugged and said, "Oh, never mind. So you're with Group B? Can I see your number?"

_Crap. _Gig thought. _There goes that plan._

_ What now? _Ari thought.

He looked at the door that stood between him and the way to Rosalyn and the Sewer Evil King. There was no way he was getting through by force, especially when there were a lot of heroes present. The only option he had was to find another way to the sewer.

_You're not going to break the door down? _Gig asked.

_I can't._

_ I know your arms are like toothpicks and your legs like sticks, but with a little of my power-._

_ No._

_ Oh come on! You didn't even give me a chance to finish!_

Ari shook his head and left the Town Hall. Even if he wasn't a morally good person, he was not going to give Gig any chances to take his body. Madril seemed big, so there was bound to be another way. With that in mind, he began to wander around.

After walking past several buildings, Ari saw a group of heroes crowded in a corner. Curious as to why they were there, he went over to where they were. The heroes were looking down at a closed manhole, and they looked terrified. They talked among themselves, and Ari couldn't help but listen in.

"I can't believe she went down there alone."

"But we were supposed to go with her."

"Waaah! I don't wanna go!"

_These are supposed to be heroes? _Gig thought. _They're nothing but spineless little shits!_

Ari silently agreed, but there was something else on his mind. These heroes were probably talking about Rosalyn, and it sounded like she was going to take on the Sewer Evil King alone. He didn't know why she would go without him, but he decided he couldn't let her fight alone.

He moved past the heroes and opened the cover of the manhole. The heroes were in shock.

"What are you doing?"

"You're going to get yourself killed!"

"I don't wanna die!"

Ari ignored them and descended into the sewer…

Only to find that it wasn't a sewer. He found himself in a concrete tunnel that only led in one direction. He saw a small amount of light up ahead, so he walked forward. He saw a ladder at the very end of the tunnel, with the light coming from up above. He climbed up and saw that he had resurfaced in a different part of Madril.

The first thing he noticed when he climbed out was a metal gate. Walking through it now was Rosalyn. He rushed up to her and called out, "Rosalyn!"

She turned around and was startled to see Ari. She said, "Oh, Ari! I forgot about you, didn't I? Sorry."

Ari stared at her in disbelief. How could she forget about him? He asked, "How?"

**That's what I'm wondering! You weren't trying to ditch us, were you?**

"No, no!" Rosalyn said. "I was caught up in trying to find the Evil King, that's all."

"In other words," Stan emerged, "this simple woman has a one track mind. While we're at it: what else did you forget? Your brain?"

"You shut it! We're here, anyways, so let's go."

_Looks like the shadow isn't as bad as I thought. _Gig thought.

Ari could see that they had similar personalities. The main difference between them was that one wanted to conquer and the other wanted to destroy. He thought it would be disastrous if those two managed to get free.

Up ahead was another manhole. Rosalyn went over to it and pulled the cover back. She descended first, followed by Ari. He mentally steeled himself for what was to come.

Ari saw that this time, he was in the real sewer. It was very spacious and there were pipes that leaked water. Another thing that told him that he was in the sewer was that there was a giant rat-.

_Giant rat? _Ari could not believe what he was seeing.

Blocking the only path ahead was a giant rat that stood on its hind legs. It was so tall, its head nearly touched the ceiling. Ari felt like he had shrunk. He did not like the looks of that thing, and neither did Rosalyn.

"Ugh," she said with disgust, "what an ugly rat!"

"Ugly?" The rat asked. "You are as rude as hell, miss. I-."

"It talks?"

"Yes, and I am not a rat, I am _the_ Sewer Evil King."

"No way! You can't be an Evil King!"

"I can't believe it either!" Stan emerged. "You're just a hairy popcorn ball!"

"Are you all from the country of rude?" The Sewer Evil King asked. "I am the Sewer Evil King! I am the big boss shooting for world conquest."

**Aw, isn't that cute? **Gig mocked. **The big, bad rat thinks he can conquer the world.**

"I can't believe you call yourself an Evil King!" Stan joined in. "What makes you think you're an Evil King, you rat!"

"I cannot answer why." The Sewer Evil King shrugged. "I am an Evil King cuz' I'm an Evil King. The only reason could be because I was born that way, and soon, I will acquire the title of Great Evil King. My world conquest will start with the sewer!"

Stan laughed darkly and said, "Listen, sewer rodent, I am the one and only Great Evil King Stan, the reincarnation of Great Evil King Gohma. Heed, mouse! I, Stan, will pass judgment on you for the crime of pretending to be an Evil King!"

"Stan? I've never heard of you. You know, nobody would be scared by such a fluffy, floppy shadow."

**The rat's got a point.**

Stan snarled, "That's it! I've had enough of you! I'll smash you, slam you, and blow my nose on you!"

"Everyone is so rude!" The Evil King sighed with frustration. "Annoying, too. It's best if I just kill you all right now."

The Sewer Evil King whistled. From the pipes, four purple rats crawled out and joined the giant rat's side. Rosalyn and Ari took out their swords and braced themselves for the attack. The Sewer Evil King pointed at the group, signaling the rats to charge.

The rats split into two groups, two for each person, while the giant rat ran at Rosalyn. Ari swung his sword at the two smaller rats, knocking them back. The blow, however, was not enough to kill them. They got back to their feet and jumped at him.

Ari panicked as they latched onto his arms and started biting him. He dropped his sword to grab one of the rats. He pulled it off of him and threw it in an unspecified direction. As he yanked the other one off, the first rat ran back and jumped on him again.

**Kid, you can't keep doing this!**

"I know!" Ari shouted.

He grabbed both rats and threw them off with a little more strength than last time. He used this opportunity to pick up his sword. When the rats charged at him again, he dodged. As soon as they hit the ground, he swung his sword downwards on one of them, finishing it off. He repeated the same strategy for the other one and defeated it as well.

He looked at Rosalyn to see how she was doing. He saw that she had vanquished the other rats and now she was fighting the Sewer Evil King. He started to run over to help when a sudden weakness came over him. His arms were throbbing in pain from the bites the rats had inflicted on him earlier. He felt a wave of nausea come over him.

**Crap! I think we've been poisoned! Do you have anything for that, kid?**

Ari remembered the nut he had obtained earlier. He took it out and ate it. He felt some of his strength return, but the nausea was still present, and he had nothing left. Before he could think of something, he felt something crash into him, knocking him to his back.

It was Rosalyn. Apparently, the Sewer Evil King had knocked her into him. She got to her feet and told Ari, "Get up!"

Ari's body trembled as he stood up. Rosalyn noticed this and asked, "Are you alright?"

"No." Ari shook his head. "Poisoned."

"Here." Rosalyn searched her pouch and pulled out a white stone. She handed it to him and said, "Hold it tightly and it'll draw the poison out."

"Hey!" The Sewer Evil King shouted. "I'm right here! Don't ignore me!"

The giant rat charged at them. Rosalyn and Ari ran in opposite directions, successfully dodging the attack. Ari did was Rosalyn told him to do and clenched onto the stone tightly. Just like she said, he could feel the poison leave his body. As soon as he felt better, the stone crumbled into pieces and fell out of his hand. Ready to fight once more, Ari ran over to take on the Sewer Evil King.

The Evil King's attention was focused on Rosalyn, who was doing her best to fend for herself. She dodged the rat's slaps and punches and struck at every opportunity. However, the rat managed to hit her hard, once more knocking her down. By the time Ari arrived to help, it had body slammed right on top of her.

"Rosalyn!"

"That's one rude person down." The Sewer Evil King said.

It rolled on its side and got up. Rosalyn lay on the floor, obviously crushed from the last attack. Ari knelt by her side and looked her over. She was alive, but unable to get up. Stan emerged from her shadow and yelled at her, "Get up, you good-for-nothing hero!"

She weakly sat up, only to fall down again. Stan turned to face the Sewer Evil King and yelled, "You will now face the wrath of a real Evil King, sewer rat!"

Stan stretched himself towards the giant rat and head-butted it, knocking it on its back. Ari was surprised that Stan, being a shadow, could attack at all. If that was the case, then why didn't he help them when all of those ghosts attacked them earlier?

"What are you waiting for, Slave number two?!" Stan asked Ari. "Finish this thing off in the name of the Great Evil King Stan!"

Stan was right. The Sewer Evil King was down and open for attack. Considering that Rosalyn and Stan did a significant amount of damage, one good hit should finish it off. Seeing that it was trying to get up, Ari seized the chance and ran at it. He used all the strength he could muster and struck the fallen rat hard.

The Sewer Evil King let out a painful yell and stopped moving. Ari took a few steps back, thinking the giant rat was finished off for good. He was proved wrong, however, as the rat stood back on its feet. It stood there and did nothing but stare at the small party of adventurers.

A white light surrounded it and it slowly began to shrink. Ari watched in amazement as the rat shrunk until it was two-thirds smaller than its earlier height. The white light then vanished, leaving the Sewer Evil King as a smaller version of itself. All things considered, though, it was still a pretty big rat.

"I lost?" The not-so-giant rat said in disbelief. "Have I really lost?"

The rat let out a squeak and ran out of the sewer. Ari put his sword up and let out an exhausted sigh. The fight was finally over.

Stan suddenly began to glow white, just like the Sewer Evil King. He laughed triumphantly, "Some of my power has returned! You did a fair bit of work, Slave and Slave number two, but really, you couldn't have done it without my help!"

"Really?" Rosalyn said weakly. "You barely contributed to anything…you…"

Ari returned to Rosalyn's side. They had defeated the Evil King, but it had left her in bad shape. He asked, "Do you have any more of those healing nuts?"

"No," she muttered, "I used them all in that fight."

Ari didn't know what he could do. They were both out of healing items, and he couldn't leave her behind so that he could get more. He was about to despair over the whole situation when Gig spoke.

**You two are really weak, you know that? Kid, I'm feeling generous right now, so I'm giving you some of my power.**

"No." Ari answered without skipping a beat.

**Not even if it's to save her life? I thought you were supposed to be a good person.**

Ari was silent for a few moments, then he asked, "You can save her?"

"Ari, don't." Rosalyn spoke up. "He's trying to trick you."

**Did I say I wanted your body this time? No. Well, I'm giving it to you anyways. Consider it a free sample of what I have to offer.**

Ari felt like something in him awakened. He looked at his hand and saw that it was glowing with a light that shone with a myriad of colors. The light felt warm and comforting to him.

**You can use this anytime to heal yourself or that hero. I'm not too much into healing, though, so don't expect to do miracles.**

Ari didn't know why Gig was doing this. He asked, "Gig, why-?"

**Don't think for one minute that I care about either of you. I just don't want to lose this body, that's all.**

He decided to just go with it. He placed his hand on Rosalyn's arms. The light seeped into her skin and vanished. Ari withdrew his hand, feeling a little drained. Rosalyn slowly sat up, then stood up.

"It worked." Rosalyn said in awe.

**Of course it worked! What do you take me for?**

She gave Ari a thankful smile. She walked to the ladder leading back up. She turned to Ari and said, "Let's get out of this sewer."

**Oh sure, it's not like I saved your life or anything.**

* * *

It was night when Ari and Rosalyn went back to the inn. They were both exhausted from the fight, and they felt like this rest was well earned. Rosalyn said that she wanted to talk to Ari about something, so they went to his room.

Before Rosalyn could speak, however, Stan emerged and asked, "So what's this you wanted to talk about, Slave?"

"Actually," Rosalyn said with a small smile on her face, "I've wanted to try out an experiment."

"An experiment? Sounds…devious! Maybe I'm starting to rub off on you? Heheheh…"

"Funny you should say that, since it concerns you."

"Huh?"

"You exist in my shadow, correct?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Ari was curious as to what Rosalyn was getting at.

"So, you can appear as long as I have my shadow, right?"

Stan now became suspicious. He asked, "Just what are you implying?"

Rosalyn's smile did not falter as she asked, "I'm just thinking out loud here, but what if I have no shadow?"

"Impossible! Everything has a shadow! I'm beginning to think you really have misplaced your puny brain."

Rosalyn ran over to the light switch and turned it off. This caught Ari off guard.

"Goodnight, Stanley!" Rosalyn said cheerfully.

"Rosalyn?" Ari asked. "Why…?"

"There are no shadows in darkness." Her voice was now very close to Ari. "I didn't want that idiot to hear what I wanted to tell you. I wish Gig wasn't here to listen either, but it can't be helped."

**Nope, not a damn thing you can do about that.**

"At least keep this a secret from Stan, alright?"

**Maybe.**

"What is it?" Ari asked.

"I've overheard the other heroes talking about a special event that is happening in the town of Rashelo. The king's daughter, the princess, is visiting that town. The power of the royal family is considerable, Ari. If we can meet the princess and tell her about Stan and Gig, then maybe she'll punish them. She might even be able to separate them from us, and then we can return to our normal lives."

**No way that's gonna happen.**

"But you can't do anything. You don't have control over Ari's body."

**No…not yet anyways. Heheheh…**

"Well, that won't happen. So, Ari, what do you think of this plan?"

"Let's do it." Ari said.

"Good. Let's rest up for now. Tomorrow is a big day. Oh, and Ari?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you, for earlier."

Ari felt Rosalyn press a kiss to his forehead. By the time the fact registered in his head, she had already left the room. He lightly touched his forehead where she had kissed him. He knew that she was thanking him for healing her back in the sewer, but was that kiss really necessary?

Ari felt around for the light switch. After some fumbling around in the dark, he found it and switched it on. He removed his sword and shoes in preparation for bed. So much had happened in one day, and he really needed the sleep, despite the rest he had earlier.

He thought about Rosalyn's plan to find the princess. He had heard little of the royal family, only that the king had died long ago and that the princess was beautiful, but had no suitors. He wondered just how much power she had, as well as hoped that she had enough to separate Gig from him, as well as Stan from Rosalyn.

_I'm telling you, _Gig thought to Ari, _she can't do it._

Ari did not like the sound of confidence in Gig's voice. He wasn't worried at all, and that made him nervous. Mustering what little courage he had, he thought back, _What makes you so sure?_

_ I could ask you the same thing. You don't even know this princess, so how do you know she can separate me from you?_

_ Rosalyn said-._

_ She said she _might_. Can't you tell? Even that righteous loudmouth isn't sure about this._

Ari didn't know how to respond. He didn't want to lose the only hope he had, yet doubt now clouded his mind. He felt a tiny portion of Gig's power today, from the extra strength to the healing magic, and he knew that he could do much more if he had free reign over his body. Only someone really powerful could help him, and he now questioned if the princess had as much power as Rosalyn said she did.

_What's the matter, soulmate? Are you having doubts now?_

Ari did not want to answer and he did his best to ignore Gig's mocking laughter. He climbed into bed, eager for a good rest. He could only hope that Rosalyn was right and that the princess can help him. If she can't help, then who could? He shook the doubts out of his head as he closed his eyes.

* * *

**Next time, the party goes to search for a princess who is not in another castle.**

**I know this is an odd crossover with a warped story, but let me know how I'm doing.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Princess

**Disclaimer: I, RamblingFox2501, do not own Zener Works' **_**Okage Shadow King **_**or Nippon Ichi Software's **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_**.**

* * *

Chapter 5: The Princess

_There was a vast, beautiful garden with white pillars and walkways. Sitting on a bench was a woman with long, flowing green hair. In her arms, she was cradling a bundle of cloth that leaked blood at the bottom. She held it close and spoke to it as if it was a baby._

_ "There, there," she said soothingly, "the pain's all gone. It's okay, it's all over now. I'm sorry you went through all that. Please, don't be sad. Let me sing you a lullaby…"_

* * *

For some reason, when Ari woke up the next day, there were tears in his eyes. Had he been crying in his sleep? He remembered last night's dream, and it left him puzzled. The woman's voice was the same as the voice he had heard from Gig's dream. Was this his dream again?

_That was… _Gig sounded unsure.

_Who was that woman? _Ari thought.

_Why are you asking me?_

_ She was from your dream, so you must know her._

_ Look, does that really matter?_

Ari could tell that Gig didn't want to talk about it. He got up and got his things together. His stomach growled and he now realized how hungry he was. He thought back to yesterday and found that, aside from that one nut, he had not eaten anything at all. How did he manage to go all day without a proper meal?

_Man, I'm starving!_

_ You're hungry too?_

_ I share all of your senses, so of course I'm hungry. Get us something to eat, kid._

Ari decided to get Rosalyn and talk about breakfast. He opened the door and found that she was standing in front of it, her fist raised like she was about to knock. This caught them both off guard.

"Ari!" Rosalyn said. "I was about to wake you up."

"Same here." Ari admitted.

"Well, I thought we should go get breakfast before heading out."

"Yeah."

"There's a restaurant nearby we can go to. Let's go."

Ari and Rosalyn left the inn. She led the way to the restaurant, whose exterior was as unappealing as the rest of the buildings, and they went in.

There were few people in the restaurant. Other than the servers, there was only one man sitting in a corner. The things that stood out the most in the restaurant were the tables, which were actually large gears supported by metal poles. Ari and Rosalyn sat at one of the tables, and they were quickly greeted by an older woman.

"Hello," she said, "welcome to the Screwdriver Inn. Our most popular item on the menu is the Champion's Breakfast, which consists of eggs, toast, and a large slice of ham."

**That sounds delicious! Give me some of that!**

"Okay." The woman took out a notepad and scribbled something down. She turned to Rosalyn and asked, "And how about you?"

"Sure, I'll have that, too." The hero answered.

"Your breakfast will be here shortly."

The server left to deliver the order. Rosalyn asked, "Can't you just let Ari decide what he wants to eat?"

**Hey, we're starving, and as long as it's delicious, I don't care what we're eating.**

"I don't mind." Ari said. He did not want to hear an argument this early in the day.

Stan emerged and asked, "Would you stop debating over breakfast? We have more important things to think about, like where the next fake Evil King is! Slave, check the map!"

Rosalyn pulled out the Map O' Evil Kings and laid it out for her and Ari to look at. She placed a finger on the map and started searching with it. She found the number two and said, "The second one is in…Rashelo."

_Rashelo_, Ari thought.

It was the same place where the princess was supposed to be, and that made him nervous.

Rosalyn looked at the legend and read, "'The water ripples in the wind, but down below, there are signs of a suspicious being. It will bring about a regal disorder.'" She paused before saying, "Rashelo is a town built over a lake, so it would make sense if the next Evil King is some sort of water monster."

Ari now became worried. He did not like the last line of the riddle, the one about the "regal disorder". Did this Evil King have anything to do with the princess? It couldn't be a coincidence, could it? After all, this was a map, not a slip of paper with a fortune on it.

_"Regal disorder", huh? _Gig thought, then laughed. _This should be interesting._

The server came back with two big plates of food. Rosalyn and Ari's stomachs growled and they were quick to chow down. Afterwards, Ari paid for the food (he had made that point that Rosalyn had paid for so much already and that it was time he contributed to something) and the duo left the restaurant.

"Okay," Rosalyn said, "we've burned through all of our healing items yesterday, so the first thing we should do is buy more things."

Ari thought this was a good idea. They stopped by the general store real quick and stocked up on nuts and white stones ("purging stones", Rosalyn had called them). Afterwards, they headed back until they were in front of the restaurant.

Rosalyn pointed to a nearby vertical structure and explained, "We can access Madril's second floor using this. From there, we can get to the Rumille Plains and then to Rashelo."

She pushed a nearby button. The metal grating in front of the structure opened up and they went in. The grating closed and Ari found that they were slowly rising up. After a few seconds of waiting, the grate opened up and they stepped out.

The buildings on the second floor were bigger and slightly fancier looking than the ones on the floor below. Still, just like the lower floor, it was also gray and dreary looking. There were few people walking on the walkways.

The first person Ari noticed was a girl in a skimpy pink and white dress. She had short orange hair and small horns on her head that he hoped were fake. She also held a microphone in her hand. He watched as she tried to get the attention of anyone who passed by.

"Please listen to my song." She pleaded with one man. "Would you-?"

"Sorry, don't have the time." The man brushed her off as he walked away.

"Please, would anyone listen?"

She noticed Ari and Rosalyn looking at her. She asked, "Oh, would you listen to my song?"

"Sorry," Rosalyn said, "but we have important things to do."

She walked past the girl, but Ari stayed where he was. He couldn't help but think that that girl was similar to him. She wanted to be noticed, but no one would bother to give her any attention. Feeling sympathy for her, he walked up to her.

"Hello there." The girl gave a small smile.

"Hello." Ari returned the greeting.

"I've never seen you here before. Please, will you listen to my story?"

He nodded.

"I know it sounds odd asking someone to listen to me, but I really want someone to hear me sing. My name is Linda, and I want to be a teen idol singer. I stand here every day, working hard to let everyone know about me and my songs, but…everyone here is so cold." She frowned. "Sometimes…I feel that I can't go on anymore."

"I…" Ari was having a hard time voicing his thoughts again. It took some effort for him to say, "You shouldn't give up."

"You're the first person to give me such encouraging words." Linda looked like she was about to cry. "I knew you were a nice person. Let me sing for you, to show you how much gratitude I have in my heart! This song doesn't have a title or words yet, but please listen!"

Linda brought the microphone forth and sang. The "song" had no rhythm, no tone, and it consisted of only the word "la". Ari already didn't want to listen anymore, but he stayed where he was so that he wouldn't hurt Linda's feelings.

**Gah! My ears! Shut up already!**

"Oh no!" Linda looked heartbroken. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She put a hand over her eyes.

Ari hastily tried to explain, "It wasn't-!"

"I know. My singing is bad. Do…do I really have no talent?"

"It's not that at all! You're not bad-."

**Yeah, it's not bad, if you don't mind your ears bleeding.**

_Gig! _Ari mentally snapped at him.

_You were thinking it too._

Linda wiped her eyes and asked, "So…you're saying I'm not bad?"

"You…" Ari tried to come up with something nice, yet honest, to say to her. He finally said, "You just need more practice."

"I get it." Linda nodded. "Thanks for the words of encouragement! Please, can I have your name?"

Ari opened his mouth to answer her.

**The name's Gig, Gig the Indestructible! Oh, and this sorry excuse of a meat puppet is Ari.**

"Gig and Ari…" Linda tilted her head. "Oh, I get it! It's one of those split personality things, isn't it?"

Ari tried to explain, "That's not exa-."

"It's okay! It doesn't really matter since you, both of you, are such nice people!"

**Me? Nice? What the hell gave you that idea?**

"So, Ari, Gig, will you come see me again next time?"

Ari nodded.

"I'll be here singing."

Ari gave his goodbyes and left Linda to her singing.

_Kid, you know what your problem is?_ Gig asked. _You're too damn nice._

_ I'm not like you._ Ari thought back.

_Anyways, where did that hero go? Did she ditch us again?_

Ari started looking around. He remembered Rosalyn saying that they would be able to leave Madril on the second floor, so he looked for an exit. He was quick to find a gear gate similar to the last one. He approached it and the gate opened automatically. He walked through and was greeted with another odd sight.

Outside were Rosalyn and the man he saw yesterday, Kisling.

"Please," Rosalyn told the man, "just let me pass."

"Oh no, Miss Rosalyn!" Kisling said with determination. "I shall not move from this spot until you agree to let me accompany you on your journey!"

Ari stepped forward. Kisling noticed him and said, "Why, if it isn't the symbiont from yesterday! How do you do?"

Rosalyn turned around and now noticed Ari. "Ari? Where were you this whole time?"

**You ditched us again, you brainless woman!**

"No, no! It's just that you're so quiet I didn't notice you were gone until I left through the gate."

**Suuuuure.**

Ari looked at Kisling and asked, "Why are you here?"

"You know him, Ari?" Rosalyn asked.

"Yes we do!" Kisling answered. "Yesterday I told you that I had to keep up with my schedule. That schedule consists of nothing but waiting out here for the lovely Miss Rosalyn to show up! I've waited for hours, and lo and behold, she is here!"

He looked at Rosalyn and said, "Miss Hero, my keen, intelligent brain tells me that you are the one! Yes, you are the one who is unparalleled in her entertainment ability her misfortunes; a biological machine that functions as a trigger to generate singular phenomena!"

"What are you talking about?" Rosalyn was obviously puzzled.

Stan emerged and said, "I think I can translate: he's curious about you and he wants to follow you around." He laughed. "Atta girl, fat legs! With your charm, you're now attracting suspicious, old men!"

"You are correct, possessed shadow!" Kisling nodded. "The life work of yours truly, Professor Gutten Kisling, is the study of ghosts. Miss Hero, my instincts tell me that, with you, I will experience a multitude of encounters with ghosts."

"I already told you, no!" Rosalyn snapped. "We have enough problems already."

"Oh, I wish you could feel my heart. The truth is: the research is but an excuse. When I saw you in town, I was swept away by your loveliness!"

**Yeah, that's not creepy at all.**

"Um…you flatter me." Rosalyn turned to Ari and asked, "What do you think? You seem to know him, so should he come with us?"

"You should be asking me," Stan interrupted, "not him, and I disapprove! This old man is too suspicious and he talks too much about nothing!"

"Oh, so you disapprove?" A mischievous smile crossed her face. She turned to Kisling and said, "You don't seem like a bad guy, so you can come with us."

"What?! You're doing this to annoy me, aren't you?"

_Don't I have a say in this? _Ari asked himself.

"Great!" Kisling was overjoyed. "Let's get rolling, then!"

**Okay, time out! It's about time I brought something up.**

"What is it?" Rosalyn asked.

**First, we have Brainless leaving us behind **_**again**_**. Second, there's now a third person in this group, and I can already see that there's going to be more people joining us in the future. Kid, I'm now giving you the power of "dominion".**

"Dominion?" Ari asked.

**Yeah, dominion. In short, if you dominate someone who gives their consent, you can summon them from anywhere at any time.**

"So you basically want the boy to enslave us all?" Stan asked. "I don't like this at all! If anyone should have this power of dominion, it should be me!"

**You'd wish you had this power, but as much as I would love it, it doesn't really "enslave".**

"And you want Ari to have this power…why?" Rosalyn was suspicious.

"I think I understand what the symbiont is getting at." Kisling said. "It is hard to manage large groups, and everyone tends to wander off. Should we need to reunite at any point, he can just bring us all together with this power of dominion. This is truly a convenient power to have!"

**Wow…Nutjob here actually gets it.**

"I am interested to see how this works, so I give you my permission!"

_You can figure the rest out, can't you, kid?_

"Um…" Ari walked up to Kisling. He was unsure how to do this, so he said, "I dominate you?"

_Geez, you're a pain! You gotta say his name, and say it with confidence!_

"Kisling," Ari tried again, "I dominate you."

There a flash of light for a split second. Kisling asked, "Did it work?"

**It did. Now for Brainless.**

"Who are you calling 'Brainless'?!" Rosalyn snapped.

**That's your new name from now on.**

Stan laughed, "It really suits her!"

Rosalyn grumbled under her breath, and then said, "Let's get this over with."

Ari realized something and asked, "What about Stan?"

**He's considered to be a minor part of her, so he doesn't count.**

"Doesn't count?!" Stan shouted. "Of course I count!"

Ari nodded and said, "Okay, Brai—Rosalyn, I dominate you."

There was another brief flash of light. Rosalyn said, "I guess it worked then? So, how does this work?"

**Do we really need a demonstration? **Gig sighed. **Fine, pretend you're leaving us behind again.**

"I told you—ugh! Fine!"

Rosalyn ran off towards the open plains.

_Alright, kid, now just focus your spirit into calling her back._

Ari thought about Rosalyn and mentally willed her to come back. There was a flash of light and Rosalyn was with them again. She looked around in surprise.

"It does work." She said. A worried look now appeared on her face and she asked, "So you can do this anytime?"

**Yup.**

"But what if, let's say, I'm on the toilet or something?"

**Then tough luck for you, Brainless! **Gig laughed.

Kisling also laughed, "Yes yes! Miss Rosalyn's bad luck is one of the reasons that I wanted to accompany her!"

Rosalyn covered her face and muttered, "Why did I agree to this?"

"Are we done here?" Stan asked. "Did you lot forget that we have a fake Evil King to destroy?"

"Right. Let's get going."

"And so the adventure begins for Gutten Kisling!" Kisling practically announced to the world.

So, with one more member to the party, the group resumed their journey.

The Rumille Plains was bathed in sunlight and had its share of small rivers. Dead trees and lush vegetation dotted the earth. Near the horizon, the group could see the large lake. The whole place was much larger than the woods that Ari knew about his whole life.

When three ghosts made themselves known, Kisling became ecstatic.

"Yes! Ghosts have appeared, and it is not one or two, but three!" Kisling exclaimed. "Miss Rosalyn's terrible luck truly does work wonders! Look at them! They're so…ghostly!"

"Stop gawking and get rid of them!" Stan ordered.

The ghosts transformed into three man-eating onions. They each charged at a single person, so there were now three one on one fights. It only took one hit each for the onions to go down. Ari was the first to get rid of his opponent, so he used this opportunity to see how Kisling fought.

Instead of using typical weapons like swords or bows, Kisling was using two books to whack away at the onion. Either the onion was really weak or those books were made of really hard material because the enemy went down in one smack. When all the enemies were defeated, they left behind money.

As Rosalyn gathered the spoils of battle, Ari asked Kisling, "You fight with books?"

"These are not just any old books," Kisling said, "these are really old books of thunder magic! As soon as I can decipher its pages, I can harness and unleash the mighty powers of electricity! Of course, as their covers are very hard, they can also be used to give one a good smack across the cranium."

Ari trusted his word on the hard book covers. The group soon continued their trek across the plains.

As they traveled, Ari and Rosalyn explained to Kisling the whole point of their journey. They told him nearly everything, from their stories of possession to the current quest of eliminating the Evil Kings and finding a way to free themselves from Stan and Gig. The only thing they didn't mention was their intentions to meet with the princess in Rashelo. The whole time, Kisling was engrossed in their stories.

When they were done, he said to them, "This is all so interesting! Eliminating Evil Kings, trying to find a way to cure yourselves of possession, all of it is intriguing! I now believe with one hundred percent certainty that I have made the right choice in accompanying you!"

"Yes, we are glad to have you too, Professor Kisling." Rosalyn said.

"I'm not!" Stan made his opinion known to everyone for the second time.

The group soon reached the shoreline, and the number of ghosts increased. At times, they had to fight groups of five or eight ghosts, and the party was almost always at a disadvantage. Still, having Kisling made things slightly easier. He would take out some of the weaker enemies while Ari and Rosalyn focused on the bigger and harder ones.

Several fights later, the group spotted a town built on top of the water. They found a small wooden bridge connecting the beach to the town and they quickly got on it before more ghosts could show up. Ari took in his surroundings.

The whole town was made up of wooden platforms and walkways that were being supported by beams that went underwater. The buildings were crudely built wooden huts, save for three structures, which were made of stone and jutted out of the water instead of resting on the platforms. The whole place also smelled of fresh fish.

"This is Rashelo?" Stan asked. "What a dump!"

"Rashelo is indeed an interesting town." Kisling said. "The main industry here is fishing and its architecture is unique in that it is built over this lake. From the port, you can also see the Aquatic Ruins."

"Aquatic Ruins?" Ari asked.

"It's an old building that sank under the lake." Rosalyn explained. "No one really knows when it was built."

Far away from the town, Ari could now make out a tall, crooked structure in the water. He couldn't make the details out, but it seemed to be a tower. He had a strong feeling that the next Evil King was in those ruins.

"Who cares about a wrecked building?!" Stan shouted. "What we need to do is formulate a plan to conquer this fishy place!"

"'We'?" Ari asked.

"You're not doing anything of the sort!" Rosalyn was quick to answer.

"Did you already forget that in addition to subjugating fake Evil Kings, I am also supposed to conquer the world? I have to start somewhere, and it might as well be here!"

"You won't be doing anything like that as long as you're in my shadow!"

"As interesting as your pointless argument is," Kisling interrupted, "it looks like something big is happening over there."

Everyone looked around to where Kisling was referring to and they saw a crowd of people gathered on one of the platforms.

"Huh?" Rosalyn's interest was piqued. "Let's go see."

They went over to where the crowd stood. They were all gathered around a large stone hut and looked like they were waiting for something to happen. They joined in the crowd and waited for whatever they were expecting to see.

"Oh look!" One of the townspeople suddenly spoke up.

Walking down the walkway to the hut were two people. One was an older man in a black tuxedo. His hair was gray and he carried an air of seriousness. The other person was a girl with long orange hair and red eyes. She wore a red dress and a green crown. The townspeople were in awe of the girl.

"Oh, Princess…"

"It's her Highness, Princess Marlene."

"Princess?" Stan asked.

Rosalyn shushed him. Ari stared at the princess. She was beautiful, yet he couldn't read the expression on her face. She was the one Rosalyn had told him about, and she was here right now.

_She's the one who can help us. _Ari thought.

_That's the princess? _Gig thought. _Something's not right with her…_

The princess and the older man arrived in front of the hut. The man announced to the crowd, "Princess Marlene is taking a boat to the symbol of the lake, the Aquatic Ruins. Because it is the place of an important ceremony, no villagers are to take a boat to the lake for two days. This is so that no one disturbs the princess's prayers until the ceremony is over."

An old man from the crowd asked, "Is something wrong? The Aquatic Ruins is a place nobody goes to."

"It is not your concern. I will repeat myself: no villagers are to take a boat to the lake for two days."

"Of course, of course. It is just a great pleasure to have her Highness in our town. We all pray for the ceremony's success."

"Princess," Rosalyn said under her breath, "I'm glad we found you so quickly." She said to Ari and Kisling, "We gotta go meet her!"

"Princess, huh?" Stan mumbled. "She's just some snob girl." He asked Rosalyn, "So are you planning to help her or something? Get all the fame and glory to yourself? What a beast human vanity is!"

"Shut up! It's not like that! I just want to ask the Princess if you and…" She realized what she almost said.

"Me and?"

"Oh, nothing." Rosalyn whistled to herself.

Ari couldn't believe that she had nearly blown their cover.

"Whatever. You want to meet with her, right? So move it."

"You're being strangely cooperative. What are you up to?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything yet."

"'Yet'? You are up to something!"

"And you aren't? What do you need to see her bratty Highness for, anyways?"

No one said anything for a while. Kisling asked, "Are you done? Why don't we just go see the princess? I myself have a deep academic interest in the princess. I'll have to start with a blood test, followed by other diagnostic exams. I wonder how the results will be?"

**Again, not creepy at all.**

"Um… thank you, Professor Kisling," Rosalyn said, "at least you're here to keep us focused. This is a special occasion, so let's go see her!"

Ari finally spoke up, "She's leaving…"

Everyone else turned and saw that the princess and the man were indeed leaving and heading towards the boats. Rosalyn ran after them. Ari ran after her, followed by Kisling.

By the time they reached the port, however, they had already taken a boat and left. They all stopped short in front of a guard who was guarding the walkway to the boats. The guard scolded them, "What do you want? No one is to take a boat until the princess returns."

Rosalyn sighed in defeat. She murmured, "Bummer. What now?"

"She will be gone for two days," Kisling said, "so we will have to wait."

"Really?" Stan asked. "Are all of you just going to loiter about for two days? I have better things to do than wait!"

"Yes, we will have to wait. In the meantime, I think I will go make some charts on the ghost distribution in the area! We have come across so many ghosts, I have to record it all!"

With that said, Kisling left the group.

"Well," Rosalyn said, "I guess I can look around Rashelo. No point going to the Hero's Association with Stan here."

She also walked off, leaving Ari alone.

_So, soulmate, what are you going to do?_

_ Gig, you said that something was not right with the princess._

_ Did I?_

_ Do you know something I don't?_

_ No clue what you're talking about. Heh heh…_

Ari knew right away that Gig was lying. It seemed like he really knew something…or maybe he was trying to trick him into thinking something was up. Still, he was not going to stand around thinking for two days. He decided he would also look around for a short while, then rest.

* * *

**So, all that happened in one chapter. Next time, the group takes on the second Evil King.**


	6. Chapter 6: The Bubble Evil King

**Disclaimer: **_**Okage Shadow King**_** belongs to Zener Works and **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters **_**belongs to Nippon Ichi Software. I own nothing except this fanfiction.**

**From this point on, I'll be abridging the excursions in the dungeons. It would not be fun for anyone if I detail every fight in every room. Also, some of the architecture will be changed for story purposes.**

* * *

Chapter 6: The Bubble Evil King

_A young woman with red hair and eyes sits on the rooftop of a building, looking up at sky full of stars._

_ "Drazil." She said to herself. "I never imagined such a place would exist."_

Yeah, _a voice made itself known, _well, there's no reason for normal humans to know about it.

_"Normal humans…" The young woman became depressed._

Hey, don't get all depressed on me. You're you! You're the one I'm stuck with, and you're the one who's pissing me off, so cheer up! You're making feel like a moron in comparison.

_The young woman gave a small smile. "You sure get pissed at little things."_

_ The voice gave a small laugh and said, _You're starting to understand me, kid. I'm not the type to just shut up and take it when someone screws me. I don't like Haephnes or Virtuous, but these guys in Drazil have pissed me off big time, and those self-absorbed bastards are gonna feel every inch of my pissed-off boot up their smug little asses. So hurry up and get to sleep so we can get on with ruining their shit!

_The young woman stayed where she was and continued to stare at the night sky. She stayed like that for several minutes._

What, can't sleep? You want Uncle Gig to sing you a wuwaby?

_She shook her head and sat up. She said, "Hey, Gig?"_

What?

_Thanks._

* * *

Ari woke up from his midday rest. He had had another one of Gig's dreams, and like the other ones, it didn't make sense to him. He thought about the young woman in the dream. She seemed to be around his age and it was apparent that she knew Gig.

_Revya. _Gig thought.

_Is that her name? _Ari mentally asked.

_Yeah, we were soulmates before I was sent to this world._

_ Where is she now?_

_ Hell if I know. Look, kid, stop meddling into my personal crap, okay?_

_ Sorry. I know little about you, and the dreams-._

_ Why do you even care? You want to get rid of me._

Gig had a point. Ari was going to get rid of him, so what would be the point of getting to know him? In the end, this thing still wanted his body and to destroy everything.

_Heh, you got that right, kid._

Ari got up and got his things together. There was still a day and a half left before the princess returned. He decided that he would go and see what Rosalyn and Kisling were doing.

When he left the inn, he could immediately tell that something was wrong.

There were a lot of people looking towards the main plaza, and they were all either nervous or frightened. Ari had no trouble spotting what everyone was looking at. Standing on the roof that covered the entire plaza was a strange looking creature. It looked like a purple fish with pink fins, yet it had arms and legs that looked like they belonged to a frog.

_What the hell is that thing?_ Gig thought.

Ari decided that Rosalyn and Kisling needed to see this. He focused on summoning them both. In a brief flash of light, they had appeared by his side, though they didn't exactly look like they were prepared for anything. Rosalyn was lying on the floor with her eyes closed, and she was without her parasol and sword. Her eyes snapped open and she abruptly sat up. Kisling had a fork in his hand with a piece of fried fish skewered on it, and he was in the middle of chewing.

"Ari!" Rosalyn glared at the boy. "I was in the middle of a nap! Why did you summon me now?!"

Kisling saw the fish thing on the roof and pointed at it with his fork. He swallowed his bite of food and said, "I believe a monster in town is a good excuse for summoning us."

The group ran to get a closer look at the monster. The thing laughed and announced to everyone present, "I am the Bubble Evil King, master of all bubble blowing evilness! I am holding the princess who snuck into my hideout prisoner! Um…" The Evil King paused. "So…she's mine!" He laughed and paused again. He concluded, "If you want to save the girl's life, um…if you want to save her, you know where to find me!" He laughed and then made a terrific leap into the water. Everyone watched as the Evil King swam into the depths of the lake.

Ari immediately recalled the warning on the Map O' Evil Kings. It was just as exactly as it had said: there was a regal disorder. The princess had been taken captive by the Bubble Evil King. He now questioned the very nature of the map.

Stan emerged and said angrily, "Blast! He beat us to the prize! Unforgiveable!"

Rosalyn asked, "What do you mean 'he beat'…?" Her words trailed off.

Of course, without her parasol to cover him with its shadow, Stan was pink once again. One nearby person laughed, followed by several more. Stan realized what they were laughing at and, with a frustrated cry, retreated into Rosalyn's shadow. Rosalyn also voiced her frustration and she ran back to the inn. Even after she was gone, some people still laughed.

"What a curious phenomenon!" Kisling said. "What caused Stan to turn into such a hideous color?"

"It's because Rosalyn didn't have her parasol." Ari answered.

Rosalyn shortly came back out with her parasol and sword. As she walked back to the group, Stan had emerged once more and picked up where he had left off. "He'll be battered and fried and on my plate when I'm through with him!"

**You want fries with that?**

"All the fries in the world! That's it: we're going to the Aquatic Ruins!"

"I agree," Rosalyn said, "but the boat ban might still be in effect."

"Pardon," a familiar voice spoke up, "but might you be Hero Rosalyn?"

The group turned to see who had spoken up. It was the man who had accompanied the princess earlier that day.

"Yes, I am." Rosalyn answered.

"Oh, this is such an honor!" The man became happy. "You are the Hero Rosalyn, the 'Master of the Lightning Rapier'! We're so lucky you're here! Oh, to have such a mighty hero here in our time of need…"

Rosalyn blushed, "Oh, you're embarrassing me."

**"Mighty hero"? You sure you aren't mistaking Brainless for someone else?**

"You shut it!"

Kisling stepped forward and introduced himself, "And I am the world's number one ghost scholar, Gutten Kisling!"

"Oh…" The man's eyes shifted from Kisling, to Ari, and to Stan. He asked, "Hero Rosalyn, I beg your pardon, but what happened to your shadow?"

"It's a long story," Rosalyn said, "but I am working on that problem."

"'Problem'?!" Stan was outraged. "I am not something to be taken as lightly as a 'problem'! I am-!"

"We have seen you with the princess." Kisling interrupted.

"Yes," the man gave a single nod, "I am the chamberlain of Princess Marlene. My name is Beiloune. In fact, Hero Rosalyn, I have a special favor to ask of you. The rescue of the princess is a national issue, and not a moment is to be lost."

Ari felt like the man was ignoring everyone but Rosalyn.

"I understand," Rosalyn said, "you needn't say anymore. I will rescue her Highness."

"You'll do it? You're a real hero, Hero Rosalyn! Of course, once you rescue the princess, she'll personally honor you."

**Are you ignoring the rest of us on purpose?**

Beiloune looked at Ari. He asked, "And…who is this boy?"

"Um, he's my protégé." Rosalyn quickly lied.

"Hmmm…"

Beiloune stared hard at Ari. The boy didn't know why he was looking at him like that. It almost seemed like he was trying to peer into his soul. The chamberlain muttered, "You…"

"Excuse me, Beiloune?" Rosalyn asked. "Is there anything wrong with Ari?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I think he looks like a bright boy. Anyways, I'll prepare a boat for you, so hurry to the port! Save her Highness as quickly as possible!"

"We will. You have nothing to worry about." She turned to Ari and Kisling and asked them, "Shall we set off, then?"

"Wherever you go," Kisling said, "I will follow!"

"I'm ready." Ari nodded.

They made their way to the port, where they found it was no longer guarded. Instead of a guard, they found a sailor waiting for them. He told them that he had been expecting them, and that they could take the boat whenever they were ready. Obviously at the ready, everyone boarded on a small rowboat and they set off towards the tower that was the Aquatic Ruins.

The weather was sunny with a gentle breeze blowing across the water. The actual trip was a little long, either because the rowboat was slow, the ruins were so far away, or both. To pass the time, Kisling attempted to entertain everyone else with snippets of scientific facts that he had stumbled across during his life as a scientist.

Needless to say, everyone stopped paying attention once he said the first sentence.

Ari's thoughts began to drift. He thought back to the encounter with Beiloune. It could have been because of the strange way he had looked at him, or maybe it was because the chamberlain was initially ignoring anyone that wasn't Rosalyn, but he didn't like that man. Something about him was not right.

_I don't like him either, kid._ Gig thought. _Something about the guy pisses me off._

Many long minutes passed. When they were close enough to the tower, the sailor announced, "We're here."

Kisling, however, was too absorbed in his ramblings to hear the sailor. "…so far, medical science has yet to find a rational explanation to the increasing number of stillbirths in the past seventeen years. This is yet another worldwide phenomenon-."

"Professor," Rosalyn interrupted, "we're here."

"Huh? Oh, so we are. I will continue 'Kisling's Top Ten Scientific Mysteries' next time!"

The boat stopped next to a hole in the tower. The sailor told the group, "I can stay as long as dusk. If you don't return by sunset, I'm going to assume you're dead and leave without you."

"We intend to hurry." Rosalyn said.

"Good luck saving the princess!"

Everyone disembarked and walked through the hole in the tower. In contrast to its metal exterior, the interior of the ruins were entirely made of stone. For some reason, there were lit torches on the walls.

Stan emerged and asked, "Where is this cheeky Evil King hiding?"

"It's a dungeon," Rosalyn explained, "so it's probably going to be at the bottom. Everyone, be careful."

**Did we really need you to tell us that, Brainless?**

"Stop calling me 'Brainless'!"

Thankfully, Gig left it at that, preventing another squabble from taking place. Rosalyn took the lead and the group took their first steps into the ruins. However, they didn't have to walk very far before they came across a dead end.

It was a square shaped room with a large urn in each corner. The urns themselves were gray with blue, demonic faces engraved on them. On the floor was a closed grate that was covering a set of stairs leading down.

"What now?" Ari asked.

Rosalyn looked around the room and said, "These urns are keeping that grate closed."

"The urns?"

"Yes. If we are to proceed, we have to destroy the urns. This isn't my first dungeon, so I know all this from experience."

**So we just break those pots? This is too easy.**

"No it's not. Once you attack one, it will turn hostile on you really quick."

"It's…hostile?" Ari was confused.

"Yes," Kisling said, "dungeon urns are living artifacts that were built centuries ago to serve as locks to prevent anyone from pilfering the treasures within the dungeons! These things are quite capable of shooting balls of energy and using magic to eliminate anyone foolish enough to break them!"

"I thought you were an expert on ghosts?" Rosalyn asked.

"I am, but before meeting you, I have looked into a book of dungeons and general adventuring."

**And let me guess, it was called **_**Adventuring for Dummies**_**?**

"No, it was _So You Want to Be a Hero_, written by an anonymous farm boy. Truthfully, I wanted something that had more detail, like the composition of the urns or why the lit torches in the dungeons never go out-."

"Enough of this!" Stan shouted. "Just destroy those worthless urns so we can get to the fake Evil King!"

"Yes," Rosalyn agreed, "we're wasting enough time as it is. These things can be hard, so we'll attack them together one at a time."

"A wise strategy, Miss Rosalyn!" Kisling nodded.

The group took out their weapons and charged at the first urn.

* * *

Two floors, eight urns, and dozens of ghosts later, the group stood in front of the opened stairway that they hoped would lead to where the Bubble Evil King was. The urns had taken Ari off guard when they first sprung to life, despite Rosalyn and Kisling's warnings. There were also many ghosts that took on a variety of forms, from toads to elephants to seaweed. Everyone was tired, and they had nearly used up their entire stock of items, but they could not turn back now.

Stan emerged and said, "I can sense that thing below us."

"You can sense them?" Ari asked.

"It's my power it has, so of course I can sense it! Slaves, are you ready?"

"How many times must I tell you that we're not your slaves?" Rosalyn asked. "Still, I'm ready."

"As am I!" Kisling said enthusiastically.

**The sooner we fry this thing's ass, the better.**

Ari just nodded.

"Then onward!" Stan commanded.

Everyone descended the staircase.

There was only one large room downstairs, along with a sealed door. Waiting for them was the Bubble Evil King and four yellow crabs with large pincers. He said, "Finally! You finally made it after…how long was I waiting?"

"Bubble Evil King." Rosalyn stepped forward. "It's unforgiveable to abduct her Highness, the princess, for your evil plan! I, the Hero Rosalyn, will defeat you and rescue the princess!"

_I think all that praise that guy gave her went to her head. _Gig thought.

Ari silently thought the same thing.

"Well," the Bubble Evil King said, "it didn't quite happen like that. You see, a girl claiming to be the princess came into my house and I caught her."

"Don't tell petty lies!" Rosalyn shouted. "You were gonna hold the princess hostage and demand a huge ransom from the royal family!"

"Oh. I forgot I can do that. Thanks!"

Rosalyn fell silent and no one spoke for a few moments.

**Are you for real?**

Stan emerged and said, "Hold on! Let me get this straight: you captured her without even thinking about what you could do?!"

"Yup." The fake Evil King answered. "I mean, she was lying there like she was asking me to catch her."

Rosalyn was in disbelief. She asked, "Then what was that statement you said in town?"

"I thought I had to at least act the part. I'm an Evil King, after all."

"You!" Stan was outraged. "If you catch her, you should at least have an evil plan! You're pathetic! You're even worse than the Sewer Evil King!"

"Um… so, who are you? You're acting like you're so important."

"Brace yourself, fishfry, for I am-!"

"It doesn't matter!" Rosalyn interrupted. "Where's the princess?"

"Don't interrupt me, blowhole woman! I am-!"

"Oh, she's in the locked room behind me." The Bubble Evil King also interrupted. "Do you know how selfish she is? I'm already sick of her…"

"What did you do to her?!" Rosalyn demanded. "You did something bad, didn't you?!"

"'Bad'?" Ari didn't like the way she said that word.

"W-well, you-you know…bad things…_those _bad things…"

Gig laughed. **I didn't think you had it in you to think those type of things.**

"What?" The Bubble Evil King seemed shocked. "I'm not interested in female humans, you sicko."

Stan laughed and said, "Again, you make a fool of yourself, hero!"

"Such a bad choice of words!" Kisling said. "Miss Rosalyn's bad luck strikes again!"

Rosalyn's face turned red with anger and embarrassment. Trying to maintain focus on what was important, she said to the Bubble Evil King, "If you're not interested in her, then return the princess!"

"No way." The Evil King was suddenly confident. "You gave me a good idea. I'll beat you up and get that ransom! What a good idea!"

The Bubble Evil King and its crustacean cohorts charged forward. Rosalyn took a step forward and raised her sword straight into the air. The blade glowed blue and she pointed the sword straight at her adversaries. The crabs and the Bubble Evil King were suddenly surrounded by whirlwinds of ice. The winds chilled their bodies and shards of ice pierced them. Ari had never seen Rosalyn do this before.

**Since when could Brainless use magic?**

"I don't know." Rosalyn lowered her sword. "I just sort of…knew I could do it."

"It seems that with enough battle experience," Kisling explained, "Miss Rosalyn has awakened her latent ability to use ice magic!"

The icy winds faded away. It looked like all of the enemies have taken damage, but they were not nearly down for the count. They shook the remaining flakes of ice off their bodies and resumed their charge. This time around, Rosalyn didn't have enough time to cast another spell, so she went at them sword first. Ari and Kisling followed her into the fray.

Two of the crabs grabbed Ari just below the knees with their pincers, causing him to topple over. They retained their grip on his legs while they tried to pinch his face. Ari swung his sword at one crab, but though it was hit hard, it refused to let go of him. He struck again and it went down and vanished, freeing one of his legs.

The remaining crab pinched Ari's nose. He screamed in pain and struck the crab as hard as he could. When it vanished, he placed a hand over his nose. It was wet with blood, and he was surprised that the crab didn't tear it completely off his face. When Gig spoke, he could tell that he was sharing his pain.

**Gah! Motherf—kid, heal us already!**

Ari focused on his hand until it glowed. He placed his hand over his nose and he could feel the soft tissue repair itself. He felt the pain in his legs fade away as well and he stood up. He stopped the healing and lowered his hand. He surveyed the battle.

Kisling was beating up one crab with his books while Rosalyn, having defeated a crab, was taking the Bubble Evil King solo. He remembered what had happened the last time she took on an Evil King by herself and he wanted to make sure nothing like that happened again. On the other hand, Kisling looked like he was having trouble with the last remaining crab.

Ari decided that he would help Kisling. That way, all three of them could take on the Evil King. He ran over to where Kisling was and he finished the crab off in one hit.

"I appreciate that very much!" Kisling gave his thanks.

"We have to help Rosalyn!" Ari told him.

"Yes, we must!"

They came in time to watch Rosalyn dodge a slap from the Evil King. She said, "You're finished, Bubble Evil King!"

"You may have defeated my minions," the Evil King said, "but I can still take you all out!"

It inhaled deeply and strongly exhaled at everyone. The same icy wind that Rosalyn had conjured up earlier blew across the party. The cold numbed their bodies and the ice shards left small, stinging cuts on their skin.

The Bubble Evil King laughed and said, "You are not the only one who can use Frost!"

The wind dissipated. Everyone shook the remaining flakes of ice off of them. Tiny amounts of blood trickled from their wounds.

Ari dropped his sword and said, "Hang on!"

He channeled power to both hands and placed one on each person. Their wounds sealed themselves shut and their skin was warmed up. However, the effort was too much for Ari and he collapsed onto his knees.

"Ari!" Rosalyn turned to the exhausted boy.

He saw that the Bubble Evil King was inhaling deeply again. He shouted, "Look out!"

Kisling was the first person to respond to the incoming attack. He ran at the Evil King and smacked his book across its lips. The fish thing let out a yelp and took a step back, stopping it from casting another ice spell.

"Thanks!" Rosalyn called out to the professor.

"Go help him." Ari told her.

"But you're injured, too!"

"I'll be fine."

Ari sounded unsure of his own words. Rosalyn hesitantly left his side and joined Kisling in the attack. He placed a hand on himself and tried to invoke the healing magic, but he felt too drained. All the while, the blood continued to seep out of his cuts.

**You don't look so good, soulmate.**

Ignoring Gig, he fished a nut out of his pocket and ate it. He felt some of his energy return, but he was still bleeding and unable to call any more power to heal himself.

**I could lend you a little more of my power, if you want.**

"No." Ari said as he weakly got to his feet. "It's not that bad."

**Don't be such a big shot, kid. You **_**need**_** my power.**

"No. I can…do it."

Ari put all of his focus into channeling what little power Gig had given him. His hand weakly glowed and he placed it on himself. The cuts were closing themselves, but they were doing so at a slower rate than when he had healed Rosalyn and Kisling. When he was done, he picked up his sword, determined to end this fight.

What he didn't know was that the fight had ended just seconds ago.

Like the Sewer Evil King, the Bubble Evil King was glowing white and slowly shrinking until he was two thirds smaller than his earlier size.

"Oh well." The Now Former Bubble Evil King sighed. "I lost. There goes all my power…this is all because I took some human girl. Fine, do what you want! I don't even care anymore!"

Stan emerged and was also glowing white. He said triumphantly, "Yes! More of my power is returning! My complete revival is imminent!"

"We beat you," Rosalyn said, "so give the princess back!"

The fish thing laughed and said, "I'm sorry. I think I was wrong this whole time. I believed that I had to be the best in the world. But it's strange…why did I think that?" He was talking to himself at this point. "I felt a strange yearning to be the strongest Evil King and go to the back of the sewer in Madril… I had something important to do, or so I felt. I wonder if that's what they call compulsive behavior?"

"What does the sewer in Madril have to do with anything?"

"I'm really embarrassed. I feel like I'm making excuses now. But, but, I'm so sorry!"

Ari thought this change in behavior was rather strange. Also, why would this thing mention the sewer in Madril? He was curious about this, but it seemed like Rosalyn wasn't.

"I don't care about that!" She snapped. "Release the princess!"

"Oh, that whining girl?" The fish thing asked. "Whoops, forgot about her. Just open the door in the back. Go ahead and take her! I'm outta here!"

The Former Bubble Evil King ran past the group and up the stairs. Rosalyn approached the door in the back and saw that it had a latch. She placed her hand on the latch, but didn't move it.

"Stan," Rosalyn warned, "you keep your hands away from the princess.

"The same goes for you too!" Stan said. "I know you're just trying to get points by flattering the princess." He retreated into Rosalyn's shadow.

"Just don't go near the princess." She looked at Ari and said, "And you in there, keep your foul mouth shut."

**You can't tell me to shut up, and my name is not "you in there", it's Gig!**

Rosalyn undid the latch and opened the door.

Inside the small room was Princess Marlene. She stood around looking bored, but she looked fine otherwise. She blinked and, seeing that she was being saved, walked out of the room. Everyone stepped aside to allow her room to exit.

Rosalyn bowed and said, "I am so glad you're safe, your Highness."

The princess turned to face Rosalyn and said, "Yes. Who are you?"

"Your Highness, I am the Hero Rosalyn. I was ordered by Chamberlain Beiloune to rescue you."

"Hm, I see. I will count on you from now on."

"Huh? What do you mean-?"

"I am Princess Marlene. Hero Rosalyn, you did a good job in rescuing me."

"Yes, your Highness. Thank you for your words of praise."

Princess Marlene looked at Ari and Kisling and asked, "And who are these people?"

Kisling jumped at the chance to introduce himself, "I am the world's number one ghost expert, Gutten Kisling! It is a pleasure to meet you, princess! If I may, I would like to take-!"

"Yes, yes." She turned to Ari. "And you, boy?"

"Ari." Was all he said.

"Ari? Just 'Ari'?"

He gave a single nod.

"I thought I heard two other voices behind the door."

"Ah, no," Rosalyn spoke up, "those must have been…really loud fish."

_**That's**_** what you're going with, Brainless?**

"Hm?" The princess looked at Ari again. "Was that you who spoke?"

"Aah, no no no!" Rosalyn made more excuses. "That must have been-!"

"Hmph! Boy, I'm thirsty. Bring me a cup of tea!"

"What?" Ari gaped at this sudden request.

"You are a servant, are you not? I told you to prepare a cup of tea."

**Hey, brat, the kid's not your servant.**

"Brat?! How dare you-?!"

"Princess," Rosalyn interrupted, "this place is dangerous. We must return to town at once."

The princess bit her lip and said, "Yes, this place is truly humid and uncomfortable. I will be happy once we leave. But," she glared at Ari, "this boy needs to learn his place!"

"I apologize on his behalf. He is not accustomed to royalty, so please forgive him." She walked up to the princess. "But your Highness, we must now-."

Stan suddenly emerged and announced, "Now is my chance! James! Come out and restrain this girl!"

An orb of purple light appeared between Rosalyn and the princess.

Rosalyn backed away from the princess and yelled at Stan, "I knew it! You _were_ planning something all along!"

"Yes I was!" Stan laughed triumphantly. "While you were snoozing back at the inn, James and I got together to formulate a dastardly plan, and now-!"

The orb abruptly vanished. Instead of James, there was a note that hovered in the air.

"What is this?" Stan snatched the note from the air. He read, "'I have a family errand to do and I'm taking a paid vacation. With love, James.' Drat it, James! Out of all the times-!"

"Hah!" Rosalyn said. "Looks like James isn't so trustworthy. Your plan is foiled, Stan!"

"What is going on here?" Princess Marlene demanded. "What is with your shadow, Hero Rosalyn?"

"Um!" Rosalyn tried to think of something to say. "You see-."

"I want a closer look at it." She approached Rosalyn.

"This is just perfect." Stan chuckled.

Rosalyn backed away and pleaded, "Your Highness, please don't! This shadow is evil!"

The princess stopped and asked, "Evil? Why do you have an evil shadow, Rosalyn?"

"It's a long story, your Highness, but we must save it for later. For now, we must get you out of here."

Princess Marlene folded her arms and said, "Very well, but I expect you to tell me everything." She glanced downwards and groaned, "Oh, but I can't leave when my shoes are so filthy!" She looked at Ari and commanded, "Come clean my shoes!"

Ari gaped again, but said nothing.

"If you will not bring me a cup of tea, then you must at least clean my shoes. Hurry now, I don't have all day!"

Rosalyn hissed at Ari, "You better do what she tells you."

_You really going to stoop so low as to lick that brat's shoes? If I had control over this body, I would-._

Ari ignored Gig and walked forward. The weakness from the fight suddenly took hold of him and he stumbled. He accidentally collided into the princess and they both fell to the floor.

"Get off of me!" Princess Marlene shoved Ari off of her. "You-you offender!"

They both got to their feet. Ari was about to apologize when the princess smacked him across the face, knocking him back down. He sat up and felt over his stinging cheek with his hand.

"Wow," Rosalyn was amazed, "what a powerful slap you have, princess."

* * *

Everyone boarded on the boat and made their way back to Rashelo. The setting sun left a warm glow on everything. Things looked serene.

The conversations on the boat, however, were anything but.

Ari had to apologize to the princess eighteen times before she would forgive him. Rosalyn was grilling Stan about his plan, but he refused to tell her what he had planned. Kisling tried to resume his earlier talk, but was drowned out by everyone else. Gig was mentally berating Ari for acting like a submissive wimp. The boatman said nothing, but he was frustrated with everyone talking at one.

Everyone quieted down once they had arrived at the port. Waiting for them was Beiloune. When he saw the princess, he let out a joyous cry. She got off the boat and approached the chamberlain.

"Oh, Princess Marlene!" Beiloune cried. "I'm glad you are safe!"

"Yes, I know I worried you Beiloune," the princess said, "but I'm fine now."

"You must be tired, princess. Let us retire and get you a meal and a bath."

"Yes." She turned to Rosalyn and said, "Rosalyn, our fair hero, I cannot thank you enough. What would you like in return? You may ask me anything."

Ari's heart leapt. This was their chance to ask the princess to save them. Rosalyn realized the same thing, and she said, "Actually, princess, there is something I require. It concerns the evil ghost that haunts my shadow and a spirit that is possessing Ari. They have been causing misery to us and everyone nearby. With your authority and power, we would like you to punish and banish these beings!"

"I hear and understand your request, Rosalyn," the princess said, "but it will have to wait. I need to rest."

"But…I understand, your Highness."

"Yes," Beiloune said, "she will see to your request once she has rested." He turned to the princess and asked, "Shall we?"

"Farewell." Princess Marlene told the group.

She and the chamberlain left. Stan emerged and said to Rosalyn, "So _that's_ why you wanted to see her so bad!"

"Yes." She admitted. "You are a big nuisance, and I would rather not eliminate these Evil Kings and help you get your power back if I can help it."

"But if I don't get all my power back, I won't get my original form and you won't be able to fight me."

"Honestly, if there was any other way to get rid of you, I would take it."

Kisling spoke up, "It also sounded like you wanted to get rid of the symbiont inside Ari."

**Stop calling me that, Nutjob!**

"Anyways," Stan said, "your request is futile! A mere brat cannot get rid of moi!"

"Do not underestimate the princess's power!" Rosalyn said. She smiled. "Soon, we won't have to worry about you or that thing inside Ari."

**Can't you even remember my name, Brainless? It's Gig!**

The group treated themselves to a good meal at the restaurant in Rashelo. When night fell, they returned to the inn and went to their rooms, another long day complete.

Ari was even more tired than usual, probably because he had used more of Gig's power than he had intended to. He thought about tomorrow. Tomorrow, the princess would help him and Rosalyn. The quest would be over and they would return to their normal lives. With hope in his heart, he retired for the night.

* * *

**Next time, something unexpected happens and our heroes hit the road once more.**

**So, some trivia: the player character in **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_** can be either gender and can have whatever name the player picks. The default name is "Revya" and, according to **_**Disgaea 3**_**, the canon gender is female.**

**So, in the original story of **_**Okage Shadow King**_**, Stan was planning to use Ari to brainwash the princess. Of course, like in this fanfiction, things didn't go as planned.**

**Also, that **_**So You Want to Be a Hero**_** thing is a reference to Sierra's first **_**Quest for Glory**_** game (which I do not own). Now you know.**


	7. Chapter 7: The Visitor

**Disclaimer: I thought I would go ahead and say that I don't own Zener Works' **_**Okage Shadow King**_** or Nippon Ichi Software's **_**Soul Nomad and the Soul Eater**_**. After all, seventh's time the charm…right?**

* * *

Chapter 7: The Visitor

_It is dark and warm. There is a sense of peace and pure content. Voices are speaking, but they are muffled._

_ "How are you doing?" A man's voice asked._

_ "We're doing just fine, dear." A woman's voice answered._

_ "Please, don't push yourself."_

_ "You know I won't."_

* * *

Ari woke up feeling refreshed, but confused from last night's dream. He had a feeling it wasn't Gig's dream. It must have been his own, but it seemed like a normal dream instead of a past memory.

_That _was_ your memory. _Gig thought.

_ But I don't remember anything like that._

_ But…this doesn't any make sense. That man's voice was…_

_ You recognize it?_

Gig did not respond. Ari felt like he had to press the matter or he would never find anything out. He thought again, _Gig, what do you know?_

_ Shut up, kid. I need to think._

Ari got his things together. He decided he would have breakfast, then meet up with Rosalyn and Kisling. Afterwards, they would go see the princess again.

When he arrived at the restaurant, he found that Rosalyn and Kisling were there waiting for him. He joined them at their table and greeted, "Morning."

They greeted him back. Ari sat down and ordered his meal. Stan emerged and said, "Now that everyone's here, bring out the map, slave!"

"Did you forget already?" Rosalyn asked. "We're going to see her Highness after breakfast and she will get rid of you and Gig. This quest is over, Stan."

Ari expected Gig to comment, but he said nothing. Breakfast was brought to the heroes and they chowed down. When they were done, Rosalyn stood up and said, "I'm going on ahead. Professor, would you pay for the meal?"

"I will gladly do so!" Kisling said.

Ari looked at the bill and muttered, "No discount for heroes?"

"Sadly, no!"

With their meal paid for, Ari and Kisling left the restaurant. They were about to head to the main plaza when Rosalyn suddenly ran up to them. She had a worried look on her face as she said, "Beiloune needs to see us."

"What is it?" Ari asked.

"It's horrible, it's—just come already!"

They followed her to the entrance of town. Waiting for them was Beiloune, who looked tired. He lifted his head up when the group arrived and said, "Oh, you're all here."

"Okay Beiloune," Rosalyn said, "tell them what you told me."

"Oh, yes, well, the princess is…missing."

"Missing?" Ari asked. He wondered what had happened.

"Is this another abduction?" Kisling asked.

"No," Beiloune shook his head, "she left a letter. It seems like she ran away. We were talking last night and found that there was a difference between our opinions on what her future schedule should be. I'm sorry, but Ms. Rosalyn, could you…?"

"Of course." Rosalyn quickly responded. "I, Hero Rosalyn, will find the princess and bring her back safely!"

"Oh Ms. Rosalyn! You are a most valorous and true hero!"

"Oh, please…" Rosalyn giggled.

Though Stan didn't appear, everyone could still hear him mutter, "Scatterbrain woman…"

Brushing off Stan's comment, Rosalyn said, "We will search for her this instant!"

"By any chance," Kisling said, "did the princess give any clue in her letter as to where she would be going?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Beiloune said. "It appears that she's heading to a town called Tenel."

"Tenel?" Ari asked.

"Yes, but I have no idea why she would go there."

"We will go right away." Rosalyn said.

With that said, the group left Rashelo with a new task at hand. Since there was no real shortcut to Tenel, they would have to go through Madril first. Along the way, Gig finally spoke to Ari.

_I really don't like that guy._

_ You mean Beiloune? _Ari thought.

_ Yeah, him. He's suspicious. I know you feel the same way, soulmate._

_ I do, but…I don't know why._

_ Just listen to the guy; he's too calm about this. Tell me: if the princess went missing, wouldn't you be running around panicking like a chicken with its head cut off?_

_ You have a point. Should we tell the others?_

_ No. We have nothing to go on and I'm not in the mood to argue with Brainless. Keep this between us, okay kid?_

Ari silently agreed.

* * *

When they reached Madril, they were about to simply pass through it when Ari saw Linda. She was in the same spot as last time, and she was still trying to get people's attention. He remembered that he was supposed to see her again.

"Hold on." Ari spoke up.

"What is it?" Rosalyn asked.

Ari walked over to where Linda was. Wondering what he was up to, the other party members followed him. Linda noticed his approach and said happily, "Ari! Gig! You came back!"

"I remember you." Rosalyn said. "You were that girl we passed by yesterday."

"Oh, you're that woman with the parasol, and you," she looked at Kisling, "I've seen you going in and out of the Research Center before."

"Gutten Kisling, world's best ghost expert, at your service." Kisling said.

Linda turned to Ari and asked, "Are they your friends?"

He nodded and said, "I came back, like you wanted me to."

"Th-thank you…" Linda put a hand over her eyes and sniffled. Then, to everyone's surprise, she broke down crying.

"Linda?" Ari asked.

Stan emerged and asked, "What is this girl blubbering about?"

Linda wiped her eyes and said, "I worked really hard until everyone in town came to know me. Some people bring me snacks and drinks, but…but…!" She sobbed, "They all say the same thing. 'Linda', they say, 'you're a great girl as long as you don't sing'!"

She lowered her head and bawled.

"That's horrible." Rosalyn said.

"I'm no good after all." Linda continued to cry. "I have no talent!"

**God, would you stop crying already?!**

Linda snapped her head up in surprise. She asked, "Gig?"

**I'll admit it: you have no talent whatsoever, but that doesn't mean you should be so damn pessimistic about it! You need a lot of work, not just on your singing, but on yourself as well! You can do better, and if people still don't like that, you can tell them they can go screw themselves!**

Ari could not believe what Gig had said. Through all of those insulting and bad words, he could tell that he was being kind to Linda. For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming.

"Gig…" Linda gripped her microphone tightly. "I…I won't give up! Hear me sing, everybody!"

She wiped away her tears and sang, "I'm not an angel but I can be, maybe. I felt a mysterious power when I fell in love with you, baby. You winked, sending me sparks, my heart, oh it skipped a beat. I fell in love with a melody so sweet-!"

"Stop it!" Stan suddenly shouted. "It's horrible!"

"Stan!" Rosalyn snapped at the shadow.

"Huh?" Linda looked at Stan and asked, "What's wrong with my song?"

**Oh boy, where to begin…?**

"You have no rhythm." Stan went first. "The key is to have a simple and flowing rhythm!"

"Stan?" Rosalyn asked. "Since when do you know anything about making songs work?"

"If I am to take over the world, I need an evil anthem to represent me! These are just one of several things to consider when planning for world conquest, woman."

**Your voice also needs work. Make it so that everyone can hear you!**

"Gig?" Ari asked. "Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?"

**I'm not being nice. I just hate sucky singing. By the way, I know you want to say something too.**

He was right again. Ari decided he might as well just say what was on his mind. He said to Linda, "Well, you need more confidence."

"Rhythm, voice, and confidence, got it!" Linda nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Stan said, "change those lyrics!"

"My lyrics? But they come straight from the heart."

"You fool! You have no idea what words to use for a song! Use words like 'conqueror', 'Evil King', 'control', and 'darkness'!"

"Stan," Rosalyn said, "don't try to brainwash this girl into singing your stupid anthem!"

Linda thought for a moment, then exclaimed, "I got it! Please listen to my new song!"

Utilizing what she was told, Linda sang, "I'm not an Evil King, but if I were, the key to my love would be in the power of darkness. I will sing of my lonely heart until the day I control you. Oh, give me love on the rocks to conquer the world, too!"

"Not bad." Stan said approvingly.

"Hmm," Kisling pondered aloud, "I believe Gig and Stan have created a monster."

"Thank you!" Linda smiled. "Ari, Gig, and Stan, you are such great coaches! I feel like a whole new person! Coaches, I owe everything to you! Promise you'll come see me again?"

"Yeah." Ari nodded.

The party left and boarded the structure leading down to the first floor. There was an awkward silence between everyone during the ride down. When they had arrived on the first floor, Rosalyn told Stan, "Congratulations, you've actually managed to brainwash someone into liking you."

"It wasn't just me!" Stan said. "Slave number two and foul mouth also contributed!"

**I'm not the one who told her to sing using words like "darkness" and "Evil King".**

"He's right." Ari agreed.

"Ugh, why must all of you be against me?!"

No one said anything else, but resumed their trip.

* * *

When they were close to Tenel, Rosalyn said, "Ari, why don't you go visit your family?"

"Huh?" He asked. "What about the princess?"

"Professor Kisling and I will search Tenel. Go ahead and see your family, Ari. I'm sure they'll appreciate the visit."

"Thanks."

The group split up, Rosalyn and Kisling going to Tenel and Ari to his family's house. As he approached the house, he thought back to when this all started. He had only been gone for two days, yet he felt like so much had happened. He and his new friends took down two Evil Kings, visited different towns, and even met a princess. However, though Rosalyn was getting closer to freeing herself of Stan by defeating the Evil Kings, he was still at square one at getting rid of Gig.

When he entered the foyer of his house, Ari immediately met his father.

"Oh?" The father seemed surprised. "It's my son!"

"Yes, I am." The words slipped out of Ari's mouth.

"It's only been two days, yet it looks like you've grown so much! But tell me, where is Miss Rosalyn?"

"In town, along with someone else we've met."

"Someone else? You should introduce them to me sometime! Oh, by the way, there's a pretty visitor for you."

"A visitor?" Ari had never had visitors before, not even Julia.

"She's in the kitchen with your mother. Let's go see her!"

The father led Ari to the kitchen. Who he saw caught him completely off guard.

Standing next to his mother was none other than Princess Marlene.

"Princess?!" Ari exclaimed.

**Why the hell is she at your house, kid?!**

"Hm?" The princess looked at Ari. "Oh, Ari, I was just chatting with your mother here."

Ari had to let know Rosalyn and Kisling know right away. He focused his mind on summoning them. In a flash of light, they had appeared in the kitchen. Their sudden appearance took the princess and Ari's parents off guard. The other two party members were also surprised, not only because of their abrupt summoning, but also that they had found the princess.

Various exclamations filled the room.

"What the?!"

"Oh my!"

"What is this?!"

"Princess?!"

"She's here!"

"Why here?!"

The father spoke above the commotion, "Everyone! Please quiet down!"

Everyone became quiet for a few seconds. Rosalyn was the first to speak.

"Princess?" She asked. "Why are you here?"

"Answer me first," the princess said, "how did you and that man suddenly appear like that?"

"This is Ari's doing." Kisling explained. "Using Gig's power, he is able summon us from anywhere at any time."

"Sorry." Ari apologized. "I thought this would be faster than running back to town to get you."

Rosalyn sighed, "The more you summon us, the less I like it. However, at least we have found the princess."

"So Ari did this?" Princess Marlene asked. "And who is this 'Gig' you mentioned?"

**That would be me, your pain in the assjesty.**

"You?! You're that voice that insulted me at the Aquatic Ruins! Show yourself!"

"He can't." Ari said.

"Yesterday I mentioned that Ari was possessed by a spirit." Rosalyn said. "That voice is that spirit."

"Yes, he is a rather rude spirit."

"Rude doesn't even begin to describe it, your Highness."

**I'm right here, you know.**

"Anyways," the princess said, "I was enjoying a stroll when I saw this pathetic big house. I was interested, so I thought I would might as well drop by and visit. This place is rather cozy, I will admit, but I was surprised when I found out that this was Ari's house."

"Ari," the mother spoke up, "the princess told me everything. She said that you attacked her like a wild animal. Is that true?"

"What?" Ari was shocked at what he heard. "It was an accident! I-!"

"Oh, I understand. You couldn't resist her, could you? I'm so happy! You used to be so timid, but look at you now! You really remind me of your father…"

The father gave a nervous laugh.

"Oh!" The mother realized that the father was still with them in the room. She said to Ari, "But Ari, you shouldn't rush things. Girls are sensitive, you know. Take responsibility, okay?"

"Mom," Ari protested, "it wasn't like that!"

"Yes, Ari," the princess said, "you must take responsibility. From this point on, I will accompany you on your travels."

Ari's group was surprised at what she said. Rosalyn protested, "But princess-!"

"Listen, Rosalyn," the princess became serious, "I'm sick and tired of the same old journeys. I only see boring things when I listen to what Beiloune tells me. I can't stay up late, I can't talk to people or take a walk. I'm bored of it all!"

"Aha, I see!" Kisling said. "That is why you ran away!"

"You are correct. When I came to this village, I've heard talk about the Evil Kings that are around the world. That was when I decided on something."

"What is it, your Highness?" Rosalyn sounded worried.

"We will subjugate these Evil Kings."

"Oh no, Princess! It's too dangerous!"

"Silence. That is why you exist, Hero Rosalyn: you are to guard me from danger. I went to the Aquatic Ruins so that I could determine my guard."

"So this was all one big test!" Kisling said.

"Correct again."

**You manipulating little bitch…**

"Watch your language around the princess!" Rosalyn snapped. She turned her attention back to the princess and told her, "We must really take you back. Beiloune is worried about you."

"There is no need." The princess was adamant. "He is just too wearisome. Rosalyn, my chosen hero, fight for me!"

Rosalyn paused for a moment. She muttered, "Chosen hero…" She gave her answer to the princess, "Alright, I will! I, Hero Rosalyn, will guard you for a while!"

"You really are egotistical." Stan said as he emerged.

"Shut up!" Rosalyn shouted.

"Enough!" The princess said. "I will not tolerate shouting."

Rosalyn bowed and said, "Yes, your Highness."

_Doesn't tolerate shouting? _Gig thought. _She won't fit in with us, then._

"Now," Princess Marlene said, "there is one more thing to take care of. Ari, come here."

Ari approached her, wondering what she was going to say.

"Ari," she began, "you did such a thing to I, the princess, back at the ruins. I cannot forgive you for that deed."

"But you already forgave me!" Ari said.

"I heard him apologize eighteen times on the trip back to Rashelo!" Kisling added.

"You counted?" Rosalyn couldn't help but ask.

"Nevertheless!" The princess raised her voice. "Ari, you are to be my servant for the rest of your life!"

Ari gaped at her. He thought she was going to help him get rid of Gig, but now she was telling him that he needed to be her servant. Gig wasn't going to keep silent about this.

**Like hell this kid is serving anyone!**

"I agree!" Stan shouted. "He is already my second slave! He serves no one else!"

"Hm…" The princess stared at Stan. She said to Rosalyn, "I believe you never told me what this thing is."

"Oh yes," Rosalyn bowed, "I did say I would tell you. This jerk is-."

"I am the one and only King of Evil!" Stan interrupted. "I am Evil King Stan, and my reign of evil in this world is absolute!"

"Really?" The princess sounded doubtful.

"Yes! This boy is already under my orders to subjugate the fake Evil Kings! He is not a plaything for little girls! Heed my words, or I'll gobble you whole!"

"Idiot!" Rosalyn glared at Stan. "You don't talk to her like that, you idiot, idiot Evil King!" She said to the princess, "I am sorry, your Highness. This shadow is unfathomably stupid."

"Why are you apologizing?" The princess asked.

"I…that's right! This evil shadow and the obnoxious voice are the ones we wish for you to get rid of!"

Ari was glad that Rosalyn had remembered why they were originally going to see the princess.

"Hm, that shadow and that voice do seem to be separate from you and Ari. Unfortunately, I cannot do anything about it."

Ari and Rosalyn stared at her in shock. Rosalyn exclaimed, "B-but princess! I thought you had the power to do so?!"

"I have no such power. My father would probably have been able to help, but he is long gone. Sadly, it looks like we are just going to have to put up with them."

Ari could not believe what he was hearing. Just "put up" with Gig? She did not know what was at stake for him and everyone. She did not know that Gig wanted his body and to destroy everything.

"I am not something to be 'put up' with!" Stan voiced his anger. "Anyways, this boy is my second slave! He is mine!"

"No," the princess said, "he's mine."

"You silly twit! You will regret those words!"

"Who do you think I am? I will not buy such an empty threat."

"That was not an empty threat!"

The princess folded her arms and said, "Let Ari decide."

"Me?" Ari asked.

"Yes, you. Who is your master? Is it me, or that vulgar shadow?"

**Goddammit, if this kid is anyone's property, it's mine! It's my body, and I say no!**

"Boy," Stan said, "you know you serve me!"

"Ari," Rosalyn warned, "you better listen to what the princess says."

"I'm sure you'll do the right thing, dear." His mother said.

"Well!" Kisling said. "This is starting to become rather stressful!"

"Yes." The father agreed.

"You seem to be a scholarly type of person. Shall we talk of ideas?"

"Yes, yes! You seem like a scholar yourself."

The father and Kisling left the kitchen talking to one another. Meanwhile, Ari was being overwhelmed by voices telling him what to do.

"You are my servant, are you not?"

"You know you're my slave!"

**Don't you agree to any of this bullshit, kid!**

"Ari!"

"Ari…"

He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to get away from everyone. He covered his ears and ran out of house. He sat on the rim of the fountain next to the house. He lowered his head, his brain overloaded with everyone's words and his own thoughts.

He didn't want to serve anyone. He didn't want to be told what he was supposed to do. He wanted things the way they used to be, back to when he was unnoticeable and not the center of arguments and attention. It was all too much for him to handle.

_Calm the hell down, kid! _Gig thought. _Your thoughts are making me sick!_

Ari covered his face with his hands. He trembled and his breathing became shaky. He tried to calm down, but couldn't. He had never been so overwhelmed before.

"Ari?" A familiar voice spoke up. "Honey, are you okay?"

Ari lifted his head up to see who had said his name.

It was his grandmother.

* * *

**Surprise, surprise, Ari's grandmother said something other than "Uh huh, uh huh. That's right, honey." Also, the chapter didn't end with Ari going to bed. Next time, Ari gets some comforting words.**

**Note: I said that there were no shortcuts; that is actually not true. There are stone circles that the party can use to teleport. I will bring these up later.**

**On an unrelated note: I personally love the "pain in the assjesty" line.**


	8. Chapter 8: The Gifts

**Disclaimer: Own Zener Works' **_**Okage Shadow King**_** or Nippon Ichi Software's **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_**, I do not. Spoken like a Yoda knock-off, the author has.**

* * *

Chapter 8: The Gifts

"Grandma?" Ari asked.

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right, honey." The grandmother sat next to Ari. "Your grandfather and I heard everything from the parlor. I was about to go to the kitchen when I saw you run outside. I was worried about you, so I came to check on you."

Ari said nothing.

His grandmother went on, "I know you must be overwhelmed, dear. Being the center of attention can be stressful."

"It's not just that." He now spoke. "Stan, the princess, even Gig; they think I'm just some _thing_ that they own."

_That _is_ my body you're using. _Gig thought.

"Just…what am I to everyone?"

His grandmother patted his shoulder and said, "You are my darling grandchild, you are a good boy, but most of all, Ari: you are you. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She paused before saying, "There, that should do it."

Ari now saw that his grandmother had something on her lap. He recognized it as the strange device that was in the church basement. He asked, "How did you get that?"

"Do you know what this is?"

Ari shook his head.

"Many people in Tenel will say that this is their treasure, but they don't actually know what this is. This is a voice recorder, Ari. If you press a button, you can record your voice on it. You can also play it back whenever you want. Listen."

She pushed a button on the device. Her voice spoke from it, "You are my darling grandchild, you are a good boy, but most of all, Ari: you are you. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Ari was impressed. He didn't know that such a thing could do that. His grandmother handed the voice recorder to him and said, "Keep this with you until your adventures end."

"Is it alright?" Ari asked.

"If you ever feel down, you can play my message. You can also record your own messages by pressing the other buttons. This can record multiple messages, so this may help you."

"Grandma…thank you. I'll take good care of it."

"Uh huh, uh huh. That's right, honey."

Ari stood up and pocketed the voice recorder. He looked towards the sky and saw that the sun was setting. He knew that his mother would be cooking dinner around this time. He was about to go back in the house when his grandmother called out, "Ari."

He looked at her.

"Don't worry about how everything will turn out." She said. "You have vigilance, so you will be fine."

He nodded.

* * *

When Ari went back into the house, he found that everyone had settled down and were keeping themselves busy. Rosalyn was talking with Annie, with Stan butting in on their conversations once in a while. His father and Kisling were talking about their ideas and theories (mostly about the history of toenail clipping). His mother and the princess were in the kitchen, with the latter trying to learn how to cook. His grandfather dozed on the sofa in the parlor until dinner was ready.

After dinner, everyone discussed sleeping arrangements for Ari's friends. Rosalyn offered to stay in a hotel with Kisling and the princess, but Princess Marlene insisted on everyone staying at Ari's house for the night. Her wish made clear, Ari had to help his dad move some spare mattresses from the basement. One was left in the basement and another was brought up to the parlor. Strangely, the princess opted to sleep in the basement, and she did not allow anyone to question why. Rosalyn took the mattress in the parlor and Kisling, with no other place to sleep, took the sofa.

When it was time to retire for the night, Ari went to his room. Though his room was nothing special, he was glad to be in it again. Today had been stressful, and he hoped that tomorrow would be better.

* * *

_It was dark and warm, and everything was quiet and serene._

_ Then, there was pain. There was a lot of pain. There was a lot of pain, and it would not go away._

* * *

Ari woke up in the middle of the night. He shuddered from the most recent dream he had. It consisted of nothing but pain, and he had actually felt it. It crossed his mind that he had dreamed that he was dying.

_What the hell was that? _Gig thought.

Ari said with a shaky voice, "That couldn't have been a memory."

_It could be…what do they call them? Suppressed memories?_

"I…I don't know."

Ari felt like he couldn't go back to sleep, not after that nightmare. He got out of bed and left his room. Not really thinking about where he was going, he found himself walking into the foyer. The large room was barely illuminated by the moonlight shining through the windows. He quickly saw that he was not the only one awake at this hour.

Downstairs and about to leave through the main door was Princess Marlene. Ari wondered why she was up, and why she was leaving. He walked down the stairs to confront her. Hearing his footsteps, Marlene turned around and let out a startled gasp.

"Ari!" She said in a hushed voice. "Why are you awake?"

**Why are **_**you**_** up?**

"Oh, and the insulting voice, too."

Not giving Gig a chance to reply to that comment, Ari asked, "Where are you going?"

"I…I might as well not keep this secret. Ari, your mother's been so kind to me. She showed me how to cook; she didn't treat me as a princess, but as a person, as someone to be loved. It's strange, but I feel like I'm at home here."

"So why are you leaving?"

"I want to repay your mother for her kindness. Have you heard of Moonbeam Grass?"

Ari nodded. Moonbeam Grass was a type of flower that would reflect moonlight. However, this glow could only be seen at night, and having been out at night few times, he almost never saw those flowers. It now made sense why the princess was up at this hour.

"I want to find one and give it to your mother." Marlene said. "I'll be back before dawn."

"Princess, you can't." A voice chimed in.

Rosalyn was standing outside of the parlor. Ari didn't even hear her enter the foyer. The princess asked, "Oh, not you too."

"I heard voices," Rosalyn said, "so I had to check it out. Princess, it is dangerous to go out at night. I cannot allow you to leave."

"You cannot stop me. You may come and guard me if you wish, but I am going out."

With that said, the princess left the house. Rosalyn let out a frustrated sigh and went after her. Ari thought he might as well go along, since he wasn't going back to bed anytime soon.

He walked away from his house and looked every which way for signs of the princess and Rosalyn. He shortly found Rosalyn, who was standing at the edge of the forest. In the forest was Marlene, who was searching the ground for Moonbeam Grass.

Rosalyn saw Ari and told him, "She won't listen to a word I say. I'm keeping watch for ghosts, so why don't you go help her look for that flower? The sooner we find it, the better."

Ari agreed. He approached the princess and told her, "I'll help."

She lifted her head up and said, "Thank you. I'll keep searching here; you search over there."

For the next hour, Ari and the princess searched for the flower. All the while, Rosalyn fought off any ghosts that came by. Since the trees were blocking the moonlight, it was going to be hard to find the flower if it wasn't glowing. Ari had never actually seen Moonbeam Grass up close, so he didn't know what they looked like. The search was tiring, and so far, they were having no luck.

_Why are you even helping her look for some stupid flower? _Gig had asked at one point.

For a moment, Ari himself asked the same thing. He thought back and remembered that he was doing it because the princess wanted to give his mother a thank-you gift. It was a thought of kindness, and how could he _not _help out?

Finally, after much searching, he spotted a white glow in the grass. There was a gap between the branches of the trees, letting moonlight shine down, and it was shining on a small white flower. He crouched down and carefully picked the flower, knowing without a doubt that this was what the princess was looking for.

He quickly regrouped with Rosalyn and the princess. When he showed the princess the flower, she was overjoyed.

"This is…! Oh, thank you, Ari! Thank you! Your mother will just love this."

Rosalyn turned to the princess and told her, "Let's go back."

"Yes, yes."

So the three of them returned to the house. The princess told them that she would present the flower tomorrow morning. Ari headed back to his room, the nightmare now out of his head. He felt like he could fall asleep again, so he did just that.

* * *

There were no additional dreams on that night, and Ari had slept better than he had earlier. He joined everyone for breakfast and participated in the morning ritual of checking the Map O' Evil Kings. The clue that was given for the third Evil King was: "The City of Steel yields another sign. From above, a covetous being whispers. Hush-hush. A sheet of paper with power will open the way." Everyone got that the next Evil King was in Madril, and that it was covetous, but they understood nothing else.

After breakfast, everyone gathered in the lobby. Everyone was giving their goodbyes to each family member. The princess made sure Ari was at her side when she presented the Moonbeam Grass to his mother. The mother thanked her graciously, more graciously than when he had given her presents for her past birthdays, now that he thought about it.

"Mother," the princess said, "may I call you 'mother'?"

"Yes." Ari's mother said warmly.

"When we come back, will you show me how to cook some more?"

"Of course, your Highness. You are welcome here anytime." The mother then said, "You are so pretty. You know, you remind me of a doll I used to have before I lost it. Oh…oh!" She looked at Ari and said, "That reminds me! Ari, show _that_ to her later, okay?"

"'That'?" Ari asked.

"You know, the thing I gave you before you first departed on your journey. Don't miss your chance, now!"

Ari lowered his head. He knew his mother was referring to the music box she had given him, the one he was supposed to give when he found the right girl. His mother was obviously still under the impression that he was romantically interested in the princess. She was pretty, yes, but he didn't like the way she acted. Besides, he was just an ordinary boy—no, he wasn't quite ordinary anymore, now that he had a second soul living inside him. Still, there was no way the princess would be interested in him.

The family sent the departing party off with words of good luck. They did not walk far when the princess stopped Ari.

"Ari," she said, "what was 'that' your mother mentioned?"

"Um…" There was no way around it. He pulled out the music box and said, "She means this."

The princess took the box from his hands and opened it. She let out a soft gasp when the melody began to play from the box.

"It's beautiful." She said. "This melody…it's like it's bringing back old memories. Are you giving this to me?"

"I-."

"Thank you." The princess put away the music box.

"Hold on." Rosalyn spoke up. "Ari, your sister told me about this box. You're only supposed to give this to someone you love, right? Ari…are you…?"

**He doesn't love her, Brainless.**

"I wasn't asking you!"

"Hm…" The princess looked lost in thought. "I, the princess, should not take something of special meaning so easily. However, Ari is my servant, and his property is my property."

Stan and Gig were not going to stay quiet about this.

"I told you, he's _my_ slave! That box should be mine!"

**Lady, when are you going to get it through your thick skull that the kid isn't yours?**

"He is mine, and-!"

**You stupid, self-centered-.**

"Would you two shut up already?!" Rosalyn shouted.

"Quite so!" The princess said. "I will not tolerate any more shouting or arguing."

"Does this mean that everyone's done?" Kisling asked.

"Yes. Now, let us go and subjugate these Evil Kings!"

With that said, everyone resumed their journey. They were about to cross the circus grounds when the princess stopped everyone again.

"What is it now?!" Stan voiced his frustration.

"Don't talk to me like that." The princess said. "I only wanted to know what that thing was over there."

She pointed to something on the circus grounds. It was a stone circle with a glowing green pillar in the center. Ari had seen it before numerous times, but he didn't know what it was. The group approached the circle to get a better look at it.

"I've seen these things in different places," Rosalyn said, "but I don't know what they are."

"These are stone circles, Miss Rosalyn!" Kisling said.

"We can see that!" Stan said.

"These are ancient devices used to teleport to other stone circles of the same color! They are all around the world and, if they work properly, we can use them to teleport to other locations without the hassle of walking!"

"That sounds promising." The Princess said. "I cannot stand too much walking."

"But these things are finicky! Sometimes, they won't work at all!"

"What about now, scholar? Do they work?"

"The pillar is glowing, so yes, it works."

"Then let's give it a try."

Everyone stepped onto the circle. The next thing they knew, they were teleported to an island with six stone circles of different colors. Only three of them, green, red, and blue, were glowing.

"Where are we?" Ari asked.

"This would be the Island of Wap Wap." Kisling said. "This island serves as a nexus for all the stone circles in the world. I have used some of these stone circles, so I can tell you where they lead. The green one, obviously, leads to the stone circle near Tenel. The red one is next to Madril, and the blue one is in the Rumille Plains."

Ari now recalled there being a red stone circle in Madril, though he didn't really give any attention to it. In the Rumille Plains, however, he did not recall seeing any stone circles there."

Rosalyn asked, "And we didn't use these earlier…why?"

"As I've said," Kisling said patiently, "these things are not always functional. For reasons yet to be discovered, they will sometimes stop working. They could possibly be resting to recharge their teleportation magic, but they could also-."

**We get it, Nutjob.**

"Yes." The princess said. She approached the red stone circle and said, "That map said that the next Evil King is in Madril, so we need to use this one."

Everyone stood on the red stone circle. They found that Kisling was right, as they were teleported just outside of Madril.

"Excellent." The princess smiled. "Now, shall we get going?"

* * *

**Short chapter, I know. Next time, the group finds that searching for the Evil King will be much more frustrating than they originally thought.**

**Author's note: With the help of the Traffic Stats, I found that many people don't read past the first chapter, or they skip and read the most recent chapter. I can understand losing interest in the first chapter (and being able to guess why), but why skip chapters unless you've already read them?**

**With this being an odd crossover with an odd story, reviews are appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9: The Corporation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zener Works' **_**Okage Shadow King**_** or Nippon Ichi Software's **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_**. If I put enough effort into it, I might be able to say this in Japanese.**

* * *

Chapter 9: The Corporation

Knowing that Madril was big and had two stories, no one knew where to really start. It was Princess Marlene who came up with an idea on how to proceed.

"Hm," the princess thought out loud, "I think we should split into two groups, one for each floor."

"A good idea, your Highness." Rosalyn was quick to agree. "I shall go with you."

"Actually, I want Ari to go with me."

"Me?" Ari asked.

"Yes, you."

"But your Highness," Rosalyn protested, "I am supposed to protect you! You said that I was your guard, right?"

"We are not going to be attacked by ghosts in the city, Rosalyn."

"But ghosts aren't the only threatening things out there. Princess, I don't like this."

"My word is final."

Rosalyn opened her mouth to protest again, but closed it. Kisling asked, "Why not take a vote?"

"Very well. What do the rest of you say?"

Stan emerged from Rosalyn's shadow and said, "I'm fine with any plan that keeps me away from that royal brat."

"I also like this plan!" Kisling said. "Not only can we cover ground faster, but I get to spend some time with Miss Rosalyn!"

"Well then," the princess said, "that's three to one in my favor." She turned to face Ari and asked, "What do you think?"

Ari said, "It doesn't matter to me."

**I don't care.**

"That's one 'no', three 'yeses', and two neutral answers." The princess nodded. "It's decided then: we split up into two groups. Servant Ari and I will cover this floor. Rosalyn, you and that scholar can search the second floor. We'll meet back here in thirty minutes."

"Yes, princess." Rosalyn bowed. She looked at Ari and told him, "The professor and I can get back here on our own, so don't summon us unless it's an emergency."

Ari nodded.

**Killjoy.**

Rosalyn and Kisling left towards the direction of the vertical ascending structure. The princess turned to Ari and asked, "Now, where shall we start?"

Ari remembered that he had found out more information on the Sewer Evil King at the Town Hall, so he suggested going there first. The princess agreed with him and they went to Town Hall. Inside, there were more people than usual. Everyone was crowded at the front counters, asking questions and threatening the people behind them with violence.

"What's with this rumor about a 'cozy relationship'?"

"You better come up with a good excuse!"

"You've been exposed! Don't think you can get away with this!"

"Answer me or I'll smack your forehead fifteen times!"

"Say something, or I'll slap your wrists twenty-three times each!"

"Explain the meaning of this, or I'll bop your nose thirty-one times!"

Ari and the princess did nothing but watch and listen to the commotion.

"What would make everyone act so violently?" The princess asked out loud. "And what is this 'cozy relationship' they mentioned?"

"You really don't know?" A voice from behind asked.

Standing next to them was a sleepy-looking man. He yawned and mumbled, "I go home to nap for one hour, and look what happens."

"And who are you?" The princess asked.

"I'm the Town Hall manager, and what you're hearing is a bad rumor that someone started to spread."

"And what is this rumor?"

"To start: there are ghosts who are working at Mr. Big Inc. The rumor is that heroes are working with the ghosts to rob the good people of their money. Ghosts attack, heroes get rid of them, and heroes get their reward money and split it with the ghosts. You get what's going on now? If this rumor spreads, it could be catastrophic."

**And now that we know, what makes you think we **_**won't**_** spread it?**

"I, uh…oops. Look, I'll give you my card if you promise you won't make this rumor any worse."

The manager fished a card out of his pocket and handed it to Ari. He then walked past them and went to a door in the back, leaving them to themselves. When they left Town Hall, the princess asked, "You, spirit, why must you be such a nuisance?"

**I don't know. Why are you such a royal pain?**

"Ari, do you have any control over that spirit? If so, then tell it to keep its rude words to itself."

"I can't do anything about it." Ari shook his head.

**You can't tell me to shut up.**

The princess sighed and said, "Let's just go over what we've learned so far. One: there are ghosts working at a corporation in town. Two: there is a rumor that heroes and ghosts are working together. I have a suspicion that this is all connected to the next Evil King."

"I think you're right." Ari said.

"I believe the first thing we should do is call everyone back and investigate this Mr. Big Inc. Ari, you have demonstrated your summoning power before. I would like you to summon the Hero Rosalyn and that scholar."

"But Rosalyn said not to unless it's an emergency."

"It's much more convenient this way. Servant Ari, I order you to bring them here."

Ari was now conflicted. On the one hand, Rosalyn would get mad if he summoned her and Kisling now. On the other, she would also get mad if she found out he disobeyed an order from the princess. Feeling that the latter scenario was of more threat of anger than the former, he decided to summon them.

With a thought, they had appeared next to him and the princess. Rosalyn was quick to snap, "Ari, I told you-!"

"Calm down." The princess interrupted her. "I told him to summon you."

"Princess, is there anything wrong?"

"No, it's just that my servant and I found a lead to go on."

Everyone exchanged information. Rosalyn and Kisling had also heard about the rumor from various townsfolk, so no one really learned anything new. The princess told everyone that they should regroup and look for Mr. Big Inc. together.

As they searched, Ari thought about Gig's power of dominion. Technically, the princess was part of their group now. He thought about bringing up the power to her and ask for her consent to summon her, but he quickly dismissed the idea. The princess would most likely get the wrong idea and refuse.

_I see what you're getting at, kid, _Gig thought, _but it wouldn't work on her either way._

_ Why not? _Ari thought back.

_Because dominion only works on people who have a…_

_ A what?_

_ Oh, nothing. Heheheh._

Just like in Rashelo, Ari could tell Gig was hiding something. He was about to press the matter when he heard Kisling say, "This looks like the place."

The group found themselves in front of a tall building with the words "Mr. Big Inc." on the sign. Standing guard in front of the door was a man in a black suit. Rosalyn approached the man and said, "Excuse us, but-."

"Ah, I see!" The man said. "You are all heroes! That's great! Come on in!"

The man stepped aside to allow the group inside. Everyone couldn't believe that the man would let them in so easily. Kisling turned to everyone else and said, "With the way this gentleman is acting, it is almost like the rumor that everyone speaks of is true!"

"Rumor? What rumor?" The gentleman laughed.

Rosalyn gripped her parasol and muttered, "It can't be true."

Stan emerged and said, "The truth hurts, doesn't it, hero?" He laughed.

"Let's just go in and get to the bottom of this." The princess said.

Everyone agreed with this and went inside the building.

The lobby smelled strongly of smoke and the only other people present were two workers behind the counter, whispering among one another. The princess tried to get their attention, but they paid no attention to her or the rest of the visiting party. The group decided they would just move on. They went through a door to their left.

They now found themselves in a cramped stairwell. Blocking the stairway leading up was a mustached man in a black suit. Seeing the party, he asked, "Are you here on a particular business?"

"We want to go up." Ari said.

"Well, I cannot let you by without a name card or a proper referral."

"A referral?" The princess asked. "What kind of referral do you require?"

"Referrals from an acclaimed politician, famous scientist, something of the like."

"I am a famous scientist!" Kisling spoke up.

"Oh, is that you, Professor Kisling?"

"That is correct! Gutten Kisling, forty-five, a wandering genius of a scientist and vessel of the century's most intelligent brain! How do you do?"

"I am fine, but I'm afraid I still can't let you by unless you have a referral. I must now ask you all to leave."

"Some famous scientist you are." Rosalyn muttered.

But Kisling refused to give up so easily. He asked, "So a name card is what is required?"

"Yes," the man said, "but-."

"How typical of corporations! Thankfully, I have a card right here!"

Kisling took a card from his pocket and handed it to the man. Rosalyn asked him, "Professor, where did you get that?"

"You remember my conversation with my colleague upstairs? He gave me his card after you cut our conversation short."

"Oh, I remember now."

The man looked carefully at the card and said, "Oh, forgive me. I see you've been referred by the head of the research center. Proceed to the second floor."

The man stepped aside. The princess said approvingly, "We are getting somewhere now."

The group went up the stairs to the second floor. Blocking the stairs to the third floor was a man who looked identical to the one downstairs. Rosalyn asked herself, "How many more of these guys are there?"

"Hello." The man said. "What is your business for today?"

"We want to go up." Ari said again.

"Upstairs? Hmm, I would feel better letting you upstairs if you had a referral."

Ari remembered the card the town hall manager had given him. Figuring it was his time to present, he took out the card and handed it to the man. After looking at it, he said, "Forgive me. I see you've been referred by the town manager. You may go up to the next floor."

The man stepped aside. Rosalyn asked Ari, "How did you get that?"

The princess answered for him, "We received it from the manager when we visited Town Hall."

The group went up, only to find a third man blocking the way to the fourth floor.

"Honestly!" The princess gave a frustrated sigh. "Why can't we just get rid of these nuisances like ghosts?"

Stan emerged and said, "For once, I agree with the rotten brat!"

The man cleared his throat and asked, "How are you all today? What brings you here?"

**What do you think, dumbass?**

"I assume you want to go upstairs, but that will be difficult unless you have a referral."

Rosalyn stepped forward and fished out a card. She said, "I don't think this will work, but it's the only card I have."

The man glanced at the card and asked, "What is this? I am sorry, but…" He brought the card up to his eyes to look at it closely. He exclaimed, "What?! This card belongs to the hostess at the 'Mirage'! It even has her number! Oh please! Let me have this!"

Everyone was surprised at the man's reaction to the card. The princess turned to face Rosalyn and asked, "And how did you come across that card?"

"W-well…" Rosalyn hesitated. "You see, we were asking around at a bar called the 'Mirage' and…"

"And the hostess mistook piggy here for a man!" Stan laughed. "She was flirting with her and everything!"

"I had stepped in to resolve the confusion when the hostess gave her that card." Kisling said. "It is incredible how unlucky Miss Rosalyn is!"

Everyone stared at Rosalyn. They could hardly believe what they had just heard. Ari wondered just how someone could mistake Rosalyn for a man.

**Just…how?**

Feeling everyone's stares on her, Rosalyn covered her face with her free hand and muttered, "Stan, I'm going to kill you for this."

Stan continued to insult her, "Hey, washed-up hero! Are you really a woman, because I think I see your mustache growing!"

"Enough!" The princess said. "I do not want to hear any more of this!" She turned to the man and asked, "Are you going to let us up or not?"

"Sure, sure." The man nodded. "The next floor awaits."

He let a small giggle escape as he stepped aside. Everyone went upstairs, though Rosalyn lagged behind. Everyone thought this would finally be the end, but it wasn't. Standing guard at the stairs leading up was yet another man. Kisling couldn't help but ask, "How many more floors do we need to go through?"

The man sighed and said, "I can't believe you managed to come all the way up here. So, what's your business?"

**We're here to see the Wizard. What the hell do you think we want?**

"You want to go upstairs, right? Sorry, but the Chairman is upstairs, and a special referral is needed. Just go home, alright?"

Kisling asked the group, "Does anyone have any more cards?"

Ari now remembered his dad's business card. It was a longshot, but it was the only card he had left. He took it out and presented it to the man.

After a quick look, the man asked, "Someone from Tenel Village Hall? This won't do at all." He tore the card up with his bare hands, letting the pieces fall to the floor. He shooed the group with his hand and said, "Go on now. See you later, alligator."

"Some attitude you have!" Rosalyn said.

"This is just evil!" Stan emerged and said. "I'm jealous. I should be more like that!"

Everyone let out a collected groan of frustration.

_Kid, _Gig thought, _I know you won't let me have your body, but can I least have your hand so I can flip this guy off?_

Ari didn't answer Gig, but he asked aloud, "Where are we going to get another card?"

"I don't know," Rosalyn shook her head, "but this guy says that it has to be special."

"If I may," the princess walked up to the man, "I have a name card."

"Since when?!" Stan demanded.

She took out a card and, handing it over, said, "Here is my name card. Be gracious you are receiving this."

"Gracious?" The man asked. "Yeah right. Just what are…?" He looked at the card and gasped, "Oh my! Oh my goodness! I am so sorry for my rude behavior, your Highness! I had no idea!"

"I grant you forgiveness." The princess said. "Now, will you let us go upstairs?"

"Of course! Oh, the Chairman must hear of this!"

The man ran up the stairs. The princess turned to face the rest of the group and asked, "Well, Stan, Gig, have I earned your respect now?"

"You may have gotten rid of that annoying man," Stan said, "but you will never earn my respect!"

**Doesn't change the fact you're a royal pain.**

"Seriously," Rosalyn said, "what is it with you two?"

"Never mind that!" Kisling said. "He said that the Chairman is upstairs, so that must mean this whole run-around is over now!"

"Yes," the princess nodded, "let us proceed."

Everyone went upstairs and, to their relief, saw that they were at the top floor. Instead of more stairs, there was a door, with the man from earlier standing next to it. He told the group, "The Chairman is waiting for you."

Ari felt like they were finally getting somewhere. He opened the door and everyone went in the room.

The room itself had a few plush chairs and nice carpeting. It was also decorated with vases and decorative swords on the walls. Near one of the walls was a desk covered in paperwork and sitting behind it was a large man in a brown suit. He had a lit cigar in his mouth and a suspicious smile. No one bothered to sit down.

The man took the cigar out of his mouth and said, "Ah, princess! We thank you so much for coming! I'm the chairman of Mr. Big Inc. How do you do?"

"I am fine, all things considered." The princess answered. "We are here because of those rumors we've been hearing."

"Say, princess, I have a business proposal for you: I would like for you to be our honorary advisor. You won't turn me down, will you?"

"You!" Rosalyn stepped forward. "You must be the one who's spreading the rumors of a 'cozy relationship' between heroes and ghosts! How dare you ask her Highness to assist you in your dirty schemes!"

"I decline." The princess gave her answer.

"Hmm," the Chairman furrowed his brows, "I see you are a strong-willed young lady, but you must know that this proposal will be profitable for both of us. It would be very useful for an information business like ours to have the royal seal of approval."

"It would be for your benefit alone. Why should I care?"

"That's right!" Rosalyn joined in. "I'm sure you're thinking of making unethical money by using the princess's name!"

"Could you be quiet, woman? You talk too much." The Chairman snapped. He turned his attention to the princess and said, "Now princess, please think about this for a moment. You've witnessed the power of our information operation, given the rumor about the heroes and the ghosts. How would you like it if a rumor spread around the world that you and that kid over there were seen kissing with each other? You wouldn't like that, would you?" The Chairman laughed.

Ari looked at Marlene, wondering how she would react. He knew that people saw them together when they were gathering information earlier, so it wouldn't be hard for a rumor like that to be accepted.

"It will be all over the streets," the Chairman went on, "'Princess Kisses Push-over Kid'. Of course, the actual rumor will be more graphic and cruel." He laughed again.

"How perfectly evil…" Stan said.

"Brilliant!" Kisling said. "Using the threat of social stigma, a subtle, but potent attack! Stan would have never thought of it!"

"Hey! What did you say?!"

**Don't praise the guy, Nutjob.**

"Quiet, all of you." The princess said. She said to the Chairman, "Fine. Go ahead and spread your rumor. I will not let your scheme control me."

Ari was surprised at how calm Princess Marlene was.

The Chairman furrowed his brows again and said, "Oh? It appears your Highness doesn't fully grasp the mechanics of gossip. A kiss never stays a kiss, you know. By morning, people will be saying that you are in love with that boy!"

"That does not bother me. You see, Ari and I are truly in love."

Everyone was shocked at what she had said. Ari opened his mouth to say something, but no words would come out. Gig, however, made his thoughts known.

**The hell?!**

The Chairman laughed and said, "Don't get too serious, your Highness. I was only kidding around, but it goes to show how children are no fun. I really didn't want to resort to using force, but you have left me no choice."

The Chairman stood up and smashed his cigar into the desk. He suddenly let out an evil laugh and declared, "I am the Evil King of Chairmen! I am an evolved evil for a civilized age: the Age of Disinformation!"

Everyone stared at the Chairman.

"Um, Stan?" Kisling asked. "Is this guy really an Evil King?"

"I was suspicious at first," Stan said, "but I can now feel his power, _my_ power, increasing!"

"It all makes sense now." Rosalyn said as she drew her rapier.

"Wait a minute!" The Chairman Evil King said. "I am much smarter than those other so-called Evil Kings! First, by spreading dishonorable rumors about the heroes, we have made the public turn their backs on them. However, public opinion is not law. To correct this, there was going to be an official denouncement by the princess, letting everyone feel free to punish the heroes! The shame and persecution will drive the heroes into hiding, then-!"

**Blah blah blah, let's just kick his ass already!**

"This is starting to sound ridiculous." The princess admitted. "So, Chairman Evil King, are you ready to fight my subordinates?"

"Oh no. As Chairman, I still have a dignified position. I'll let middle-management take care of this. Come out everyone!"

Eight ghosts suddenly appeared and surrounded everyone. Ari and Kisling took their weapons out and got into their fighting stances next to Rosalyn.

"Negotiate—I mean fight them!" The Chairman Evil King ordered. "Kill everyone except the princess, and no, I don't care if you make a mess of my office!"

The ghosts transformed into six scarecrows and two blue hippopotami with oversized heads. Their sudden change in size caused them to accidentally knock over the chairs and break some of the vases. There was not much room to fight, and everyone became painfully aware of that fact. Princess Marlene hid in a corner of the room and ordered, "Attack them!"

Everything turned chaotic almost instantly. The scarecrows tried to jump on heads, the hippos shot ball of fire out of their mouths, and the fighting party scrambled around the room, either attacking or dodging. Still, the enemies were weak, and even Stan joined in the fray. The frenzy seemed to last a long time, but it only took a few short minutes for the party to wipe out all the enemies.

When it was all over, the room was a wreck. Furniture was toppled over, vases were broken, and there were holes in the walls that were made by the hippos' fireballs. The party didn't suffer too much damage and the princess and Chairman Evil King were unharmed. Everyone turned their weapons on the Evil King.

The large man clenched his teeth and said, "You're stronger than I thought, especially that shadow. You are no ordinary shadow, are you? How about joining my company and doing meaningful work?"

"You clueless businessman!" Stan laughed darkly. "Don't you realize that I am in a different class than you?"

"Grrrr. What about you, boy? You don't seem as pathetic as I thought you were. I'll give you top salary and a room with a view if you join now."

**You think we're stupid or something?**

"I don't work for Evil Kings." Ari answered.

"That's right!" Rosalyn said. "In the name of all heroes, for all the vanguards of justice and peace, for the happiness of all people, I, Hero Rosalyn, will-!"

"Chairman Evil King," the princess interrupted, "villain who spreads worthless lies, I-."

"You fool!" Stan also interrupted. "Know that I am true evil! I, the Great Evil King Sta-!"

The Chairman Evil King laughed and said, "You may fight well, but you do not exactly work as a team!"

"Shut it!" Rosalyn said. "We work just fine, it's just-!"

"But never mind that. From this point on, I resign from my post as chairman. I now have no liabilities whatsoever! I must now hurry to the Escapeless Abyss in the Rumille Plains. So long!"

Before anyone could react, he ran past the group and ran to the stairwell. Rosalyn was the first to run after him, followed by everyone else. However, no matter how far they went down the stairs, they saw no sign of the Evil King. They found themselves in the front lobby and saw that the two whispering workers from earlier had passed out on the floor.

"What happened?" Ari asked.

Kisling examined the fallen men and said, "No worries! They are just unconscious!"

As soon as he said that, they woke up. They slowly sat up and rubbed their heads. One of them asked, "Huh? What happened?"

"You don't know?" The princess asked.

The other man said, "Umm…I was writing out reports in the back when I had this funny…feeling. The next thing I know, I'm here."

"Intriguing!" Kisling said. "And how would you describe this 'funny feeling'?"

"Um…it was like…my chest was heavy and…I couldn't really think clearly. I might have been dreaming…or not."

"I felt the same way." The first man said.

The professor nodded and said, "All of these seem to be symptoms of ghostly possession!"

"So those ghosts we fought…?" Rosalyn asked.

"Yes! They were possessing these workers before they were summoned to fight us!"

"We were possessed?!" Both workers asked at the same time.

"You were, but do not worry! You are fine now!"

"I see." The princess said. "In order to carry out the chairman's evil schemes, he had ghosts possess these poor workers.

"Hello?!" Stan shouted. "Are you forgetting that you worthless slaves let that Evil King escape?!"

"We did not forget." The princess glared at the shadow.

"For a big guy, he runs pretty fast." Rosalyn admitted.

"He said he was going to the Escapeless Abyss in the Rumille Plains." Ari said.

"Escapeless Abyss? I'm not familiar with that place. I suppose we can look at the map."

Rosalyn took out the map and unrolled it. She looked it over for a few seconds and gasped. The rest of the group peeked over her shoulders to see what was wrong.

"I don't believe this!" Stan said.

"The map…" Ari said slowly. "It…it changed."

* * *

**Next time, the group fights the Chairman Evil King.**

**In the original game, this segment was really horrible for me. Not only was it a pain looking around Madril for those cards, but the Escapeless Abyss is one of two dungeons in the game that made me want to pull my hair out. I had to use a strategy guide just to navigate the dang place.**

**I know it's highly improbable for someone to mistake Rosalyn for a man, but it seemed more probable than the hostess falling for Kisling, considering how he acts and all that.**

**Also, I know that the "vertical ascending structure" is an elevator, but no one refers to it as such in game.**


	10. Chapter 10: The Chairman Evil King

**Disclaimer: On second thought, no. I'm not going to say that I don't own Zener Works' **_**Okage Shadow King**_** or Nippon Ichi Software's **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_** in Japanese. Instead, I will say that I do not own Zener Works' **_**Okage Shadow King**_** or Nippon Ichi Software's **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_** in English. Oh wait…**

**Just a heads up: this work has its dark moments. This chapter contains one such moment.**

* * *

Chapter 10: The Chairman Evil King

The map had indeed changed, if just slightly.

The number three was marked on a certain spot in the Rumille Plains. The writing on the legend had also changed. For the number three, it now read: "South of the City of Steel, there is a sign of one who ran. It is a desirous being looking up from the abyss. Past resigned, he conspires to rise again."

"Just what is this map?" Rosalyn asked.

"Since science cannot explain it," Kisling said, "I must say that this is the result of magic!"

"At least we now know exactly where the coward is hiding!" Stan said. "After him, slaves!"

"You don't get to say that." The princess said. She then announced, "Now, servants, let us be off."

* * *

With the help of the Map O' Evil Kings, everyone was able to find the Escapeless Abyss. On the outside, it looked like a cave with stone pillars outside of it. When they had arrived, Stan emerged and said, "This is the place. I can sense him in there!"

"Isn't this strange?" Kisling asked.

"Are you doubting my power? You are more of a fool than I thought!"

"No, I do not doubt your power. I just think it's strange that the Chairman Evil King would come here. I thought he liked modern, sophisticated things. This place is obviously a dungeon, and he is obviously letting himself get cornered. Why would he come here?"

"Well, as an Evil King, I do feel strangely at home in these kinds of places."

"I believe I have a new theory! Maybe it is in the nature-!"

"I do not care about the habits of Evil Kings." Rosalyn interrupted. "My only concern is eliminating them all!"

"I agree." The princess said. "Let us push on."

Everyone entered the Escapeless Abyss, each secretly hoping that the place didn't live up to its name.

* * *

It took several hours for the party to reach the stairs that lead to the bottom floor. During those hours, the party realized just how much of a maze this place was. There were symbols on the floor that opened sealed doors, lightning-spewing urns that needed to be destroyed, and pits to fall in. The group got lost several times, and it did not help that the place was practically infested with ghosts.

Though the princess obviously didn't participate in the battles and Gig was having a blast with Ari fighting many enemies, everyone was exhausted. The Chairman Evil King had chosen his hiding place well. Their supply of healing items was almost exhausted, and they had not even found the Evil King yet.

It was a bittersweet relief when everyone heard Stan say, "He's down these stairs."

"Oh God." Rosalyn sat on the floor to rest. "I never, never want to see another dungeon like this again."

**I'm going to be sore for days.**

"How can you even be sore if you're a spirit?" Princess Marlene asked.

**The kid and I share the same mind and body. What he feels, I feel.**

"This symbiotic relationship between you and Ari is certainly something of interest!" Kisling said. "I will have to conduct a personal interview after we beat this Evil King."

**Nuh uh, Nutjob. We're not going to be your lab rat.**

"I really don't want to be interviewed, Professor Kisling." Ari said.

"Are you quite done?" Stan asked. "Let's get that fake Evil King already!"

"Give us a minute, spatula-head!" Rosalyn snapped. "Unlike you, the rest of us are tired!"

"Oh how weak and frail you humans are! It's going to be easy to conquer the world once I get all my power back!"

**Hey, shadow, I've been wanting to ask you: why do you want to conquer the world so badly?**

"That's a good question." The princess said. "Why _do_ you want to conquer the world?"

"Why?" Stan laughed evilly. "Because I must have absolute dominion over everything! It brings such delight to see pathetic lifeforms cower and bow before me! Doesn't the very thought excite you?!"

**Nah, it's more fun just to snuff the life out of every maggot I see.**

"None of those things are going to happen," Rosalyn stood up, "not while I'm here. Is everyone ready?"

"That's my line!" Stan exclaimed.

"No, that's my line." The princess said firmly.

Either way, everyone was in agreement that they were ready to take on the Evil King. They descended the staircase and found the Chairman Evil King waiting for them, along with four animate suits of armor. The group got into their fighting stances while the princess stayed close to the staircase and out of everyone's way.

The Chairman Evil King laughed and said, "You have come! You have all come to fight me!"

"It's over, Chairman Evil King!" Rosalyn said. "You have nowhere to run or hide!"

"Lady, what's wrong with your hearing? I told you I gave up my position as chairman."

"So you're just an Evil King now?" Ari asked.

"Not just any Evil King, but _the_ Great Evil King! Also, I wasn't running; I was leading you all here so I can finish you off. It was smart of me to hide in a dungeon so complex and filled with so many ghosts, it would wear you all out just getting here! Look at you all now! You look like you're about to pass out from exhaustion!"

"This is just too brilliant!" Kisling said.

"Don't praise him, you nutty professor!" Stan snapped.

The Evil King laughed again. "I must warn you: I am much stronger than you think. I am also much smarter than you folks. Much, much smarter!"

"That will not stop my subordinates from trouncing you." The princess said.

"Oh, don't believe me? Come and get me then!"

The four suits of armor drew out their swords. Rosalyn raised her sword and cast a Frost spell, chilling all enemies. However, the armors seemed unaffected and they charged forward. Ari and Rosalyn also charged with swords in hand while Kisling stayed behind and opened one of his books. He read an incantation out loud and pointed the other book at one of the armors. It became engulfed in a black sphere and was zapped multiple times with tiny bolts of lightning. When the sphere vanished, it left the armor unable to move for several seconds.

When Ari and Rosalyn attacked the other three armors, they found that their sword attacks did little damage to them. Rosalyn backed up and did another Frost attack. The ice attack seemed to do more damage than their normal attacks, but the armors were still standing.

Meanwhile, the Chairman turned to look at Kisling, who was still doing lightning attacks. He ran past the other fighters and punched the professor hard, knocking him off his feet. Seeing that he was in trouble, the princess called out to the others, "The scholar needs assistance!"

Rosalyn turned her attention to Kisling and saw that he was indeed in trouble. She followed the princess's command and ran to help him, leaving Ari facing the four armors alone. He backed away from them and he quickly found himself cornered. The four armors closed in on him, their swords raised and ready to strike.

"Servant Ari needs help!" The princess shouted.

_You know, _Gig thought, _you can just wipe the floor with these guys if you had more of my power._

_ No. _Ari thought back.

_Kid, if you're smart and not suicidal, you would beg for my power._

A black lightning sphere struck one of the armors while a third Frost spell hit the other three. The first armor collapsed onto the floor and vanished. The other three, unhindered by the ice spell, swung their swords downwards. Ari raised his sword to block the attacks. He was able to catch two of the swords, but the third had left a long gash down his leg. He cried out in pain and dropped to the floor.

"Ari!" Rosalyn cried out.

She and Kisling attacked the remaining three armors, getting their attention. They all turned around and started fighting them, leaving Ari alone. The princess let out a shriek and she ran over to Ari's side.

"Ari!" She cried out.

Blood started flowing out of the gash. Ari wasted no time in focusing power into his hand to heal himself. The wound started to close when his body suddenly started to glow purple. He felt his strength diminishing rapidly. His hand stopped glowing and he slumped back against the wall.

"Ari, what's happening?!" Princess Marlene asked.

**Shit! Someone's draining our power!**

Everyone heard the Chairman Evil King laugh. He stood a distance away, his body also glowing purple. He said, "Separating and culling the weak to make the strong thrive is all part of business, princess. That boy would be of no real loss to anyone."

"Stop it!" The princess pleaded. "Please, stop it!"

_Kid, _Gig thought urgently, _we're seriously going to die here if you don't use my power!_

"Oh, you want me to stop, do you?" The Chairman Evil King laughed. "Perhaps you would reconsider my offer? If you accept, I'll spare this boy's life."

The princess looked at Ari, who weakly shook his head at her. He closed his eyes and he could feel himself losing consciousness. Was it really going to end like this? He thought, _Gig…_

_ Yeah, I know. _

Ari suddenly felt a surge of power flow through his body. He opened his eyes and slowly stood up. Despite the Chairman Evil King continuing to drain him, he still focused power into his hand and healed his leg. He picked up his sword and stared at the Chairman Evil King.

The Evil King was surprised at what he was seeing. He could sense the sudden increase in power in the boy, and he did not know why. A sense of dread filled the air, and everyone could feel it. Rosalyn and Kisling, who had taken down a second armor, glanced around to try to find the source of this sudden dread.

Ari's body was now surrounded by dark energy. Wing-like shoulder armor had materialized by his sides and his hair had turned from red to white. He looked at the remaining two armors, then at the Chairman Evil King, with cold eyes.

Though the Chairman had stopped what he was doing, the armors now turned their attention to Ari. They raised their swords and charged at him and the princess. Rosalyn cried out, "Princess!"

Ari stepped forward and swung his sword one time. Unlike his previous attacks, that one strike cleaved both armors in half. They collapsed onto the ground and vanished, leaving only the Chairman Evil King left. He dashed towards the Evil King and plunged his sword into his gut.

_That was it? Boring._

There was no blood, but the Evil King was obviously in pain. Ari pulled the sword out and kicked him down. Gig had not been exaggerating about his power. Things were so much easier with this power, and he had not had enough, so why not-?

Ari dropped the sword. What was he thinking? He couldn't let Gig possess him, no matter how good this power was.

_Why are you holding back now?_ Gig thought. _You want this. You _need_ this._

Ari shook his head and said, "No. No I don't"

_"No"? Don't lie to me, kid. It felt good having my power._

It was true. It did feel good having so much power. He could not deny that.

_Just say the word and I can give it all to you._

"I said no!"

"Ari?" The princess asked.

She was about to step forward when Rosalyn held her back. She told the princess, "Be careful, your Highness. That might not be Ari anymore."

"That power he displayed is really something to behold." Kisling said. "He might even be more powerful than Stan!"

"No he's not!" Stan said. "Although, it seems that I have underestimated foul mouth. Hmm…"

Rosalyn slowly approached Ari, her sword drawn. She asked, "Which one are you?"

The shoulder armor vanished and Ari's hair turned back to its former color. He turned around. When he saw Rosalyn pointing her rapier at him, he raised his hands in surrender. He said, "It's me, Ari."

"Really?" Rosalyn did not lower her sword. "How do I know you're not Gig?"

**I'm still in here, Brainless.**

"I thought you were possessing Ari."

**If I was possessing the kid now, you would all be dead.**

"I would have died if I didn't ask for his power." Ari said in his defense.

"Ari…" Rosalyn lowered her sword. "I want you to know this: if Gig ever takes control, I promise that I will not hesitate to kill you."

Ari said nothing for a moment, but then he said gravely, "I understand."

"Everyone!" The princess stepped forward. "No one is going to kill each other! We defeated the Evil King and everyone is alive! That is all that matters!"

Rosalyn lowered her head and said, "Yes, we should be thankful."

Kisling approached the fallen Chairman Evil King. After looking him over, he said, "This Evil King is not human!"

Everyone turned to look at the professor. He went on, "If he was human, he would have bled. However, despite Ari having dealt a lethal blow, there is no blood. Judging by the human characteristics and lack of blood, I conclude that this Evil King is, in fact, neither human nor ghost, but a hybrid!"

"A hybrid?" Rosalyn asked. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I have another new theory! So far, all the Evil Kings we have fought are-!"

"Urgh…" A painful moan escaped from the Chairman Evil King.

He blinked and slowly sat up. Everyone backed away and drew their weapons. However, the Evil King did nothing. His body glowed with a white light briefly before returning to normal. Unlike the previous two Evil Kings, he had not changed physically. Stan's form also glowed briefly, signaling the partial restoration of his lost power.

"Yes!" He said. "More of my power has returned to me! That's three Evil Kings down now!"

"Uhhh…" The Former Chairman Evil King rubbed the spot where he had been stabbed. Out of the blue, he asked, "Where am I? How did I get here?"

Everyone gaped at him.

**Are you freakin' kidding me?**

"This is a trick, right?" Rosalyn asked.

The chairman laughed and said, "I thought that would work. Oh well." He looked at Ari and said, "That's some power you have there. I'm surprised you didn't actually kill me."

**You're just lucky the kid decided to hold back. If it was me in control, heheheh…**

"So, I'm not only no longer a chairman, but I am also no longer an Evil King. It's strange, but I don't really mind. In fact, the whole thing is strange."

"How so?" Kisling asked.

"For so many years, I thought I only cared about making money, and I worked very hard for my evil business ventures. But one day, for some reason, I felt the urge to spread rumors about heroes, even though I wasn't going to make a penny out of it. It was just completely out of character for me. I used to think conquering the world wasn't for me. I wanted to own the world, not conquer it. But something made me forget all that, and frankly," he scratched his head, "I have no idea how I wound up in this place. I don't understand anything anymore."

"Hmm, Mr. Ex-former Chairman Evil King, does 'the deepest end of the sewer' mean anything to you?"

Ari saw that he wasn't the only one who had remembered the strange words that the Bubble Evil King had said after they had defeated it.

"Oh, yes," the Former Chairman Evil King nodded, "I had a feeling that something was at the deepest end of the sewer. Yes, I was certain I was dreaming of being there when I was close to conquering the world."

"You weren't even close to conquering the world." Stan folded his arms. He said to the group, "Don't stand there like sticks in the mud; we have more Evil Kings to find!"

"Yes." The princess said. "Hero Rosalyn, the map, if you please."

Rosalyn took out the Map O' Evil Kings. She read from the legend, "'At the end of the lightless path, a sign of he who seeks to fight. Alone in a dead world, the prospect of you excites his blood.' That…doesn't sound good."

"A 'lightless path'?" The Former Chairman Evil King asked.

"This has nothing to do with you, you wash-faced ex-Evil King!" Stan said.

"Really? I think I happen to know what that curious map refers to."

"Do you now?" Kisling asked.

"Somewhere in the Rumille Plains is a strange statue that guards the way to the 'Transverse Tunnel'. I have never been there myself, but I have the key."

"That's convenient." Ari said.

"Yes, isn't it strange? I will give it to you if you see me safely out of this place."

"Agreed." The princess said.

"Princess, are you sure?" Rosalyn asked.

"He almost killed me." Ari said.

"I know," the princess said, "but that spirit saved you. Besides, doesn't this man look pitiful after his defeat?" She turned to the Former Evil King and told him, "We will see you safely out of here. Now, the key, if you will."

"Thank you, your Highness." The Former Evil King walked up to her and handed her a miniature statue. He said, "Just place this in the statue and the way will open for you. Now, get me out of this place."

* * *

Despite what they had thought earlier, it was easier for the group to find their way out than it was when they were first trying to find their way in. As soon as they saw the light of the setting sun, the Former Chairman Evil King took off. Seeing how late in the day it was, everyone realized just how long their excursion in the Escapeless Abyss had been.

"I suppose dinner and a rest is in order." The princess said. "Tomorrow we will vanquish more Evil Kings." She glanced down and groaned, "My shoes are dirty again. Servant Ari, clean them right now."

"What?" Ari asked in disbelief.

**I really don't get you. First you say you love the kid and cry over him, now you're treating him like your dishrag again.**

"Love him? Oh, that. I said that earlier to try to fool the Chairman Evil King. And about my shoes," she gave a small smile, "I was joking about that too. You and everyone worked so hard today. I will have you clean my shoes tomorrow first thing in the morning."

Ari mentally groaned.

* * *

The princess treated everyone to dinner when they returned to Madril. Everyone ate heartily and happily, and they all thanked the princess for paying for the meal. They checked into the hotel, where the clerk was now getting used to their faces.

Ari had a lot to think about before he went to bed. He had nearly died at the hands of an Evil King. If it wasn't for Gig, he would have been dead. Then again, if it wasn't for Gig, he wouldn't be on this adventure in the first place.

He knew that the decision to ask Gig for some of his power was risky. During those moments, he had partially transformed into the spirit within. The power and bloodlust had steadily crept over him, and he had to purposefully hold back to make sure he wouldn't be overwhelmed.

Ari knew that he had to be more careful next time. He would try not to borrow any more of Gig's power unless it was an absolute emergency. If he grew careless, then there would most likely not be a next time.

* * *

_It was dark and warm, but things were not at all peaceful. The pain would not go away. Muffled, but panicked, voices could be heard._

_ "My Lady!" A man exclaimed. "Are you alright?"_

_ "It hurts…! No…my-!"_

_ "Someone! We need help!" A moment passes before the voice cries out, "You've come! It's your wife, Lord Me…!"_

_ The voices fade away, but the pain does not. Soon, a new voice makes itself known. Unlike the other voices, it is clear, calm, and comforting._

_ "Come." The voice says. "It's okay. I'm here to save you from your pain."_

_ As soon as the voice spoke, the pain vanished and, for the first time ever, there was light._

* * *

Ari woke up in the middle of the night, the dream vivid in his mind. He could not believe what he had heard. He was in shock, as was Gig.

_What the hell?! Kid, just what the hell is going on?!_

_ That voice, _Ari thought, _that was…_

_ No way! That's _your_ memory, so why…?_

Ari slowly said aloud, "It was you."

* * *

**Twist! Next time, hot springs, Kisling's theories, and another Evil King.**

**There's going to be more twists like this as the story progresses. I hope you guys like reading this, because I like writing this.**


	11. Chapter 11: The Humiliations

**Disclaimer: Sign broken. See chapter 1 for disclaimer.**

**This chapter contains suggestive content.**

* * *

Chapter 11: The Humiliations

_That was not me!_ Gig thought.

_He sounded a lot like you. _Ari thought back. _If he wasn't you, then why are you as freaked out as I am?_

_ That's…okay, fine, that was me hundreds of years ago. Happy now?_

_ Hundreds of years? Then this can't be my memory! I wasn't alive back then!_

You_ weren't, but someone was. Still, this doesn't make any sense. Kid, what are you?_

This was confusing for both Ari and Gig, but Ari especially. At least Gig had some knowledge of these dreams. Ari, on the other hand, was still in the dark. He put his head in his hands and thought, _Gig, what is going on? These are just dreams…right?_

There was no response.

_Gig?_

Ari focused his mind on getting Gig's attention. Instead of an answer, he heard snippets of sentences.

_…zombie guy…this is just like…but he only had two…why can't I remember…?_

_ Gig!_

_ What?_

_ You know something again._

_ Huh…looks like you can hear some of my private thoughts now. Guess that means we're getting closer, heheheh…_

Ari was getting frustrated with Gig. He was still hiding things, and it seemed like he wasn't going to enlighten him anytime soon. He snapped, _Why are you keeping secrets from me?!_

_ Whoa, didn't expect you to snap like that. Kid, I'm just as frustrated as you. I'm trying to make sense of all this, but when it does, it still doesn't, dammit!_

_ Just tell me what you know._

_ I'll tell you when it becomes painfully obvious. I'm going back to sleep._

Ari plopped his head back on his pillow. He really needed answers, but as of right now, he needed the rest even more. He hoped that the next dream would clear things up.

* * *

The next day, the group spent most of the morning searching for the statue that the Former Chairman Evil King had mentioned. Ari didn't have any additional dreams that night, and Gig had not spoken since their talk. He assumed that the spirit was still lost in thought and he decided to leave him be.

They eventually found a tall statue tucked away in a rocky nook. The statue itself looked like a cloaked human (Kisling speculated that it might represent an ancient deity long forgotten by humanity). There was a rectangular shaped hole below its neck.

"That must be where we need to put the miniature statue." Rosalyn noted.

Princess Marlene took out the statue and looked up at the hole. She frowned and said, "It's a bit high for me to reach."

Stan emerged and asked, "Is that what the problem is? Hand it over, carrot top. I'll put it up there."

"Why would I trust you with this?"

"You think I'm going to destroy it or something? Idiot! There's an Evil King past here! Why would I destroy the thing that would take us to him?!"

"He's right." Ari agreed.

The princess sighed and said, "Fine."

Stan snatched the statue out of the princess's hands. He stretched up to the hole in the statue and placed the miniature statue inside it. A large portion of the big statue slid inwards and off to the side, creating an open doorway.

"Well, what do you know," Rosalyn said, "you aren't as useless as I thought, Stan."

"I'm not useless!" Stand stretched back down.

"If that's the case, then why don't you help us fight the ghosts more often?"

"It is hardly worth my time to exterminate lower class beings. That's what you slaves are for."

"Come on." Ari said before another argument could start up. "The way's open, so let's go."

"Well said, Servant Ari." The princess smiled.

Everyone filed through the doorway. Just as the Former Chairman Evil King had said, there was a tunnel. Contrary to what the map said, though, there were lit torches on both sides of the walls, making the place visible for safe crossing. The group started their walk down the long corridor.

Dozens of ghosts were quick to appear and surround everyone.

"But of course!" Rosalyn was exasperated.

"Go on now," the princess told everyone, "get rid of these pests!"

* * *

Thanks to the ghosts, it took everyone much longer to get through the tunnel. When they reached the end, they were dismayed to find that there was nothing there. No door, no treasure, nothing. It was a dead end.

"Are you kidding me?!" Stan was furious.

"Hold on." Kisling said. "There might be a hidden doorway."

"I hope there is." Rosalyn said.

"Servant Ari, search for a way through." The princess commanded.

Ari stepped forward and scanned the wall to see if anything was out of place. He saw that there was a small, perfectly circular hole off to the side. He walked up to it and carefully stuck his finger in it, hoping there wasn't something like a spider in there. He pushed something that felt like a button.

Just like with the statue, part of the wall slid back and off to the side. Light flooded into the corridor. Through the doorway, everyone could see a vast expanse of white. Cold wind and bits of snow flew into the corridor.

"Well done, Ari." The princess smiled at him.

"Now let's see what's out there." Rosalyn said.

Everyone stepped outside. It was snowing outside, with cold wind blowing in everyone's faces. The transition from the warm plains to the wintery wilderness was startling for everyone.

"Snow?" Ari asked.

"It is very strange!" Kisling said, shivering. "It's almost as if we've jumped from one end of the world to the other!"

Rosalyn also shivered and said, "The map said that there would be an Evil King waiting for us, but there's nothing here!"

"I-I d-d-don't r-really c-c-care for the c-cold!" The princess's teeth chattered.

Stan emerged and shouted, "You! I sense you nearby! Come out and show yourself!"

"Stan?" Rosalyn asked. "Who are you talking-?"

"You don't order me to come out!" A voice shouted back. "I'll come out on my own!"

Something jumped down from above and landed in front of the group. It was a creature that looked like it was half bull, half human. It wore a green striped shirt, black pants, and an ear-splitting grin.

**Holy crap! You scared the hell out of me!**

The bull laughed and said, "I am a terror from hell possessing the ultimate fighting technique! The exciting executioner, the wild danger, I am Big Bull the Bulldozer!"

"Wow." Ari couldn't help but admire his energy.

"Stan," Kisling said, "you said you could sense him. Does this mean that this creature is an Evil King?"

"He is." Stan said. "This meathead isn't even trying to hide my power!"

"Ha ha! You are correct!" Big Bull said. "I am also known as 'Big Bull Evil King'! It was worthwhile waiting for you here! I challenge you all to a fight!"

"Now?" Rosalyn asked.

"That's fine by me!" Stan said. "Bring it, you overinflated husk!"

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" The Big Bull Evil King suddenly said.

"What's wrong, lummox? Lost your fire? Has the grim reality of facing the awesome fury of the mighty Stan brought fear into your stout heart?"

"Ha ha! Don't be so hasty to get in the ring! This venue is boring. My goal is to find strong contenders and fight them, but not here. We need to meet in a place that's more manly!"

**"Manly"? Just how many steroids did you take?**

"Beat feet for the prize fight arena for Evil Kings, the 'Big Tree Hole' in Tenel Forest! Catch me if you can!"

He ran past the group with incredible speed, knocking Ari down along the way. Before anyone could blink, the Evil King was already gone. Ari got to his feet and joined everyone in staring at the tunnel where the bull had run through.

"Another freak." Rosalyn sighed.

"Yes," Kisling said, "it's obvious by his looks that this Big Bull Evil King is another hybrid, thus far holding up my theory that-."

"Can you hold off on your theories until we get out of this horrid cold?" The princess asked. She turned around and spotted a wooden building up ahead. She said, "There's a lodge over there. Let's stop there and warm up."

The group thought this was a good idea, so they made their way to the building. The inside was spacious, but only had three people. There was a large fireplace with a lit fire that warmed the entire room. Everyone let out a relieved sigh as soon they were out of the cold.

One of the people, a large man, walked up to the group and said, "Welcome to the Pos Pos Lodge and Hot Springs. How can I help you weary travelers?"

"Hot springs?" The princess let out a delighted gasp. "I must try this out!"

"Excellent. That will be three hundred sukel a person."

"Three hundred each?" Rosalyn's jaw dropped.

"Don't worry," the princess said, "I can pay for myself. The rest of you, however, must pay from your own pockets. I cannot treat you all the time." She fished out her money and paid the man.

"The women's division is through that door. Towels can be found inside."

The princess made her way to the door. Rosalyn took out her share of money and, handing it to the innkeeper, told him, "I want to go, too."

After paying him, she ran for the door, calling out, "Wait for me!"

"As nice as these hot springs sound," Kisling said, "I believe I will pass."

The innkeeper turned to Ari and asked, "What about you?"

**Hell yes!**

Ari thought it was a good idea, so he also paid the man. The innkeeper said, "The men's division is that door over there, and kid," he frowned, "don't get any ideas."

"Ideas?" Ari asked.

"You know, like sneaking into the women's division. I'll be watching."

Ari nodded slowly and went through the door.

He found himself in a room with lockers, benches, shower stalls, and hung towels. Beyond that room was the actual hot spring. Ari set his sword down and sat on one of the benches. Though he had bathed before with Gig inside him, he still felt nervous about removing his clothes.

_Not again. _Gig mentally sighed. _Kid, we've already been through this. There's no one else around and I don't care how you look without your clothes on._

_ Easy for you to say. _Ari lowered his head.

_I want to relax as much as you do, so just get this over with._

Ari gulped. He tried to reassure himself. He and Gig were both male, so it shouldn't be an issue. He took a deep breath and quickly stripped himself of his clothing. Trying not to look at himself, he went over to one of the shower stalls and rinsed himself off. Afterwards, he took a towel and went to the spring.

Setting the towel off to the side, he slowly slid himself into the water. It was really hot, and it took him a minute for him to settle in. He sighed. After fighting many ghosts and being out in the cold, the hot water felt really good.

_Damn that feels nice! _Gig thought.

Ari nodded his head and leaned back. This, he thought, was one of the good things about this adventure. There were many tiring battles, but going to new places and experiencing things like this made the whole trip worthwhile.

_You know, kid, _Gig thought, _you really need to get over this anxiety of yours._

_ Don't bring that up. _Ari groaned.

_At least you're not as bad as Revya about this. She would keep her eyes shut whenever she bathed so she wouldn't let me see her._

_ I can understand why._

_ I told her I could care less about her equipment, but she wouldn't have it._

Ari now thought about what kind of person this Revya was. He only saw her once in the dream, and it seemed like she and Gig were on pretty good terms. He also wondered what it was like for Gig…he shrugged the thought out of his head.

_I know what you were thinking. _Gig thought. _You were wondering what it was like for me to be in a woman's body?_

Ari blushed and shook his head furiously. Gig's laugher echoed in his mind.

_I knew it. You can't hide your thoughts from me, soulmate. If you _really_ want to know…_

Ari shook his head again and climbed out of the spring. He did his best to push that stray thought out of his mind. He dried himself off while trying to block Gig's thoughts of how much of a pain in the ass it was to be trapped in the body of a woman. As he was putting his clothes back on, he heard a pair of screams.

"How dare you?!" He heard Princess Marlene screech.

"You stupid, perverted-!" He heard Rosalyn's angry voice yell.

Ari grabbed his sword and ran out of the room. Without really thinking, he ran through the door to the women's division to see what the matter was. He saw that Kisling was also in the room, as well as the girls, who were wearing nothing but towels around them. Stan, who was back in pink, was also present.

Rosalyn and Princess Marlene stared at the men in the room. The princess let out a horrified scream while Rosalyn shouted, "Get out! Get out!"

"What happened?" Ari asked.

"We heard you two screaming." Kisling joined in.

Rosalyn grabbed her folded parasol and ran at them. She repeatedly whacked them with it, shouting, "Just get out, you perverts!"

Ari and Kisling ran out of the room. The door slammed hard behind them. The innkeeper approached them and "tsk tsk"ed at them. The other two people were staring at them, their expressions puzzled. From the women's division, they could hear more shouting.

"Now look what you've caused!" Rosalyn shouted angrily. "I told you not to come out, you idiot, idiot Evil King! I'm going to kill you ten times over for this!"

"I shall execute him first," the princess said, "then you can kill him twenty times over!"

"Just what happened in there?" The innkeeper asked the group.

"I have absolutely no clue!" Kisling said. "However, they were screaming before we barged in to help; you were witness to that!"

"Yes…"

_Stan came out while they were…? _Ari didn't finish that thought. _Why?_

_Think about it, kid. _Gig thought. _You got two girls bathing in a hot spring. Who _wouldn't_ want to see that?_

Ari mentally cringed at the thought.

_Kid…there's something wrong with you._

Rosalyn and the princess came out of the door, now fully clothed. Rosalyn, however, was still carrying her parasol folded, allowing everyone to see her pink shadow. The princess glared at Kisling and Ari and told them, "You are to forget what happened."

"We are truly sorry for barging in like that," Kisling said, "but when we heard you screaming, we thought you were in trouble."

"I was never in any trouble. Hero Rosalyn was at my side the whole time."

"Still, what had happened in there?"

Stan did not emerge, but he did say, "My plan to humiliate these women worked! I knew you humans get embarrassed over one another's nakedness, but their reactions-!"

"Shut up!" Rosalyn snapped. She said to Kisling, "Professor, just forget what happened."

"I cannot possibly see how I can-."

Without warning, Rosalyn punched Kisling across his jaw, knocking him to the floor. The innkeeper took a step back and pleaded, "No violence in here, please."

"Let us go." The princess said.

Kisling got up and rubbed his jaw. Without another word from anyone, the group left the lodge.

* * *

The traveling party stopped at Madril again for lunch. After lunch, Rosalyn took out the Map O' Evil Kings to see exactly where the Big Bull Evil King had run off to. Like with the previous Evil King, the writing on the legend had changed. It now read: "Land of Departure, to the south is a great tree with a hollow. Impatiently, the one awaits his promised match."

"Remind me who gave you this map?" Princess Marlene asked.

"It was the ringleader from the traveling circus." Rosalyn said. "He wouldn't say anything about the maps, but he was giving them away like flyers."

"He was also able to recognize me as an Evil King." Stan's voice said.

Since they had left the lodge, Rosalyn had kept her parasol folded, denying Stan his normal color. He still spoke, but he would not come out for fear of embarrassment. Ari knew this strange form of punishment was related to what had happened at the lodge. Of course, this came at the cost of Rosalyn's own embarrassment, as people now took notice of her pink shadow. Even now, people would take a glance at her shadow when they got the chance.

"Maybe the ringleader is an Evil King?" Ari thought out loud.

"No, I couldn't sense any of my power in that pudgy man."

"And from what you described," Kisling said, "he sounds like a normal human."

"And that matters…why?" Rosalyn asked.

"If I may, I would like to finally speak of my theory without any interruptions."

"You may speak." The princess said.

**Just keep it in English.**

"Yes," Stan agreed, "no scientific babble out of you!"

"Very well!" Kisling nodded. "First, I will explain hybrids, for those of you who don't know.

"People call these things 'monsters', because they are neither ghost nor human. I, on the other hand, call them 'hybrids' because they share characteristics of both ghosts and humans! They all speak the human language and most of them have the physical structure of a human. At the same time, they show traits of the transformations the ghosts take when they attack. Hybrids come in all forms, from very monstrous to very human! No one knows how they came to be, but they have been appearing for the past seventeen years!"

"Hmm," the princess said thoughtfully, "I have heard of these 'monsters' before. Heroes are called to kill them for various reasons."

"I have heard of that, too." Rosalyn said. "If you look at all the Evil Kings we've met so far, they all seem like monsters. Well, except for the Chairman Evil King."

"Yes, the chairman seemed very human!" Kisling said. "However, we have all seen that he did not bleed when Ari had dealt a fatal blow to him. One thing that all hybrids have in common is that they have no blood, and they are harder to kill than humans and ghosts. Scientists have yet to secure a hybrid and perform exploratory surgeries or autopsies, so we don't know what keeps a hybrid alive. I personally think they have invisible ectoplasm inside them, just like ghosts, which would make for an-!"

Ari interrupted, "What does this have to do with the Evil Kings?"

"Thank you, Ari." The princess said.

"The Evil Kings, yes!" Kisling nodded again. "Miss Rosalyn described the Sewer Evil King as a giant talking rat. We have seen the oddity that was the Bubble Evil King and we saw that the Chairman Evil King did not bleed. Now we have come across the Big Bull Evil King, a creature that is both bull and human. My theory is that all of these Evil Kings are hybrids, but I do not know why that is the case!"

"Hold on!" Stan spoke up. "I am not one of these hybrid things you keep talking about!"

"So what are you, aside from being a stupid, egotistical shadow?" Rosalyn asked.

"I am something of a higher class than everything on this planet!"

**So you're saying you're a god?**

"Yes, that sounds appropriate. All will bow and cower before my magnificence!"

**Shadow, I'm a Master of Death. I have killed gods before, and I can tell you right now that you are not a god.**

"If you're so powerful, then why are you trapped in the body of my second slave?"

"Hypocrite." Ari muttered.

"What was that?!"

"Just look who's talking." Rosalyn said. "If you're so powerful, they why were you sealed in that bottle?"

"You really don't know? This is the kind of thing that should be in the legends your grannies recite! Hundreds of years ago, my previous incarnation, the Great Evil King Gohma, destroyed half of the world! However, he was defeated by Hero Hopkins, and here I am now, trapped in the shadow of someone who might not even be a woman!"

"Excuse me?!"

"Didn't you see how small your-?"

Rosalyn stood up and slammed her hands on the table, shouting, "I told you to shut up about that!"

Everyone in the restaurant turned to stare at her. Seeing that she was the center of attention, she ran out of the building. The rest of the group paid for the meal and went after her. They glanced around and saw that Rosalyn had boarded the elevated vertical structure. As she ascended, everyone could hear her arguing with Stan, who had now emerged.

"This is really bothersome." The princess sighed. She looked at Ari and told him, "Summon her back, please."

Ari nodded. With a thought, Rosalyn had magically reappeared next to the group. Not noticing the sudden teleportation, she continued to yell at Stan.

"…does not mean that I'm a man! I just exercise a lot!"

She now noticed where she was. She sighed, "Damn. I almost forgot about that power."

"Hero Rosalyn," the princess said, "we really must be looking for the Evil King now. Let us not waste any more time."

Rosalyn closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm herself down. She said, "You are right, your Highness. The sooner we take out these Evil Kings, the sooner I can kill this jerk."

"And the sooner I can kill you!" Stan said.

"And the sooner I can move on to other scientific studies!" Kisling joined in.

"And the sooner we can complete our journey." The princess said.

Ari felt compelled to join in, but he really didn't know what he would say. He had originally joined Rosalyn in hopes of finding a way to get rid of Gig, but all they've been doing is vanquishing Evil Kings. He was doing this to help her out, but what about afterwards? He still had yet to find something or someone that could help him.

_What's the rush, kid? _Gig thought. _You don't like our partnership?_

_ Partner? _Ari thought back. _You're the one who wants to destroy everything._

_ Just whatever pisses me off. After that, I'm leaving this strange world of yours. I have a promise to keep._

_ Promise?_

_ Yeah, a promise. None of your business._

"Ari!" He heard Rosalyn call out.

He lifted his head and saw that everyone else was leaving without him. He ran to catch up with the others. They were about to fight their fourth Evil King, and he had to be ready for it.

* * *

**Next time, the group takes on the Big Bull Evil King.**

**Note: The hot springs in the lodge is based off the hot springs in Japan. I have never actually been to one of those places before, though, but I hope to one day. **


	12. Chapter 12: The Big Bull Evil King

**Disclaimer: I do not own the original works, just this fanfiction.**

* * *

Chapter 12: The Big Bull Evil King

Following the map, the group found a very large tree in the woods. It was five times wider than the other trees, but it was cut short at the top. It had a gaping hole on its trunk, large enough for people to go in. Inside, everyone could see a set of stairs leading down. They filed through the hole and down the stairs.

The inside looked similar to the other dungeons they have been through. It had the same stone walls and the same lit torches. There was nothing new about it.

"So it's another dungeon." Rosalyn said.

"That reminds me of my other theory!" Kisling said. "It seems like all Evil Kings want to fight in dungeons for some reason! Stan has said that he felt at home in these types of places, so maybe the Evil Kings prefer to fight on familiar ground."

"True, but no matter!" Stan said. "This Evil King will not escape moi!" He looked himself over, then he asked Rosalyn, "When are you going to put that stupid parasol back up? I do not want our enemy to see me like this when we trounce him."

"Maybe he can laugh himself to death." Ari said.

"Oh _very_ funny, slave!" The shadow snarled. "I'll let you know when I actually want you to tell a joke."

"I didn't think you had a sense of humor, Ari." Rosalyn admitted.

_Neither did I._ Ari thought.

"As funny as it is to see Stan the Pink Shadow," the princess said, "I would like you to put your parasol back up, Rosalyn. I don't want us to be distracted while we're here."

"A good point, your Highness."

Rosalyn opened the parasol and held it over her head. Stan instantaneously turned from pink to black. He said, "Much better! Now, onwards! That Big Bull Evil King has challenged us, and I do not plan on delaying any longer!"

* * *

The dungeon underneath the tree wasn't a maze like the Escapeless Abyss, but that didn't mean it lacked obstacles. As usual, there were urns (though they shot fire this time around), tough ghosts, and switches to step on. However, when the group found a sign indicating a hidden pathway (Rosalyn thought that it might have been left by a previous adventurer), things became a little harder. They found that some rooms had illusory walls that hid pathways further into the dungeon. Having found that out, they now had to search every wall they came across.

Finally, everyone reached the stairs leading down to where the Evil King was. The ghosts they had fought earlier proved to be much tougher than the ones in the previous dungeon. Still, thanks to their experience in battle, everyone was able to persevere.

"He's down there." Stan said. "Are you ready, slaves?"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't call us 'slaves' and say 'yes'." Rosalyn said.

"With high spirits, let us go!" Kisling said.

"What about you, Ari?" The princess asked.

"I'm ready."

"Ari," Rosalyn said as she approached him, "I don't need to tell you this, but be careful. I don't want you to resort to using Gig's power again if you can help it."

**Right, I'll just let the kid die next time.**

"Really?"

**Of course not, dumbass. I'm not letting this body die on me.**

"I figured as much."

Everyone went downstairs. The room below was very spacious, and it did not take them long to spot the Big Bull Evil King, along with four purple bulls by his side. The Evil King grinned and said, "Thanks for coming all this way so I can pound you. You guys are good sports. I'll clobber ya into cute, tiny little pulps, then I'll stomp on you til' you stick to my shoes! Man, I'm excited!"

"Yep, one too many power drinks…" Rosalyn rolled her eyes.

"Um," Kisling spoke up, "excuse me for interrupting your excitement, but I have a question for you, Big Bull Evil King. Have you been behind that tunnel all that time without trying to conquer the world?"

"Yup. I don't care about world conquest. I just want to fight strong opponents. Meat grinding fights; that's my life! I won't give my World Evil King Belt to anybody!"

"World Evil King Belt?" Stan asked. "What are you going on about?!"

"Hm," the princess said, "it seems like many kinds of Evil Kings exist. If you are going to treat this as an arena fight, then I'll be the judge."

_This isn't professional wrestling. _Ari thought.

She moved out of everyone's way. Everyone got into their fighting stances. The princess announced, "You may begin."

"Here we go!" The Big Bull Evil King shouted.

He and his cohorts charged at the group, giving them no time to do anything. They were trampled over like bugs in the path of a stampede. Everyone was flat on their backs, and they ached everywhere. This was not a good start to the battle.

Rosalyn was the first to get up, followed by Ari. They saw that the stampeding group had stopped a few feet from crashing into the back wall and they had turned around. Ari looked around for Kisling and saw that he was still on the floor. He was not moving.

"Professor?" Ari went over to his side and shook him.

No response. He saw that he was still breathing, so he was still alive. The Professor had fallen unconscious from too much damage.

"Woo hoo!" The Big Bull Evil King hollered. "One Hit K.O.!"

"Is he alright?" Rosalyn asked.

"He's alive." Ari reported.

"Get him somewhere safe. I'll take care of these guys."

Ari grabbed Kisling by the arms and started to pull him over to the nearest corner of the room. Meanwhile, the enemy group was charging again. Stan emerged and said, "It looks like you weak slaves need my help."

"About time you contributed!" Rosalyn said.

"You will certainly owe me for this, hero."

"Just do something!"

Stan reached his arm back and swung it in the direction of the enemy group. Explosive blasts engulfed the enemies, knocking them all down. Rosalyn used this chance to cast a Frost spell on them, dealing more damage.

Ari, meanwhile, set Kisling's unconscious body against a corner. He looked at the enemies and saw that Stan and Rosalyn were actually holding their ground, if but for a few moments. He focused on healing Kisling. Though the healing magic seemed to have worked, the professor was still unconscious, and it didn't look like he was getting up any time soon.

Princess Marlene's scream broke his concentration. He turned his head and saw that all the enemies had ganged up on Rosalyn and were attacking her simultaneously. She collapsed onto the ground in less than ten seconds. Stan shouted at her, "Get up! Get up, pathetic hero!"

Rosalyn lay motionless on the floor. All the enemies turned to face Ari. The Big Bull Evil King asked, "Is that it? You chumps are weak! Oh well, an easy victory for me!"

Ari froze in place. This fight was much worse than the one against the previous Evil King. Kisling was unconscious and he was unsure if Rosalyn was still alive. He was the only one left standing, and he wouldn't last long unless he resorted to drastic measures.

_You gonna let me take over now? _Gig thought.

Before Ari could give an answer, the enemies were knocked down once again by more explosive blasts. Though Rosalyn was down, Stan was not. He looked at Ari and commanded, "Slave number two, get over here right now!"

Ari ran over to Rosalyn's side. She was badly beaten and out cold. Her breathing was shallow, and Ari was worried that she might die.

"Listen carefully," Stan said, "that useless hero is dying, and I can't stay in her shadow if she dies. I'll keep attacking these fools as long as I have power, but you have to save her. If you don't, I'll haunt _your_ shadow."

Ari focused all of his power into healing Rosalyn. However, though the light seeped into her, it did not seem to be helping her.

_Looks like she's done for._

_ No! _Ari thought frantically. _She can't die! Gig, you can save her, right?!_

_ I told you before I'm not all for healing, but I _may_ be able to help. Heh heh…_

Ari could tell right away that Gig was lying by the way he laughed.

_Damn, is it that obvious? _Gig thought. _Yeah, nothing I can do about that. I'm a god of death and destruction, if you couldn't tell already._

"No." Ari shook his head.

He couldn't let Rosalyn die, and if Gig couldn't help, then who would? He focused intently on healing her, refusing to give up so easily. However, he could feel the power quickly drain from him.

_No… _Ari thought.

"No!"

He couldn't let her die, he just couldn't! He couldn't give up, not now, not when his companion was on the edge of life and death. Though he had no more power, he still continued to focus on saving her. His thoughts became frantic.

_No no no Rosalyn don't die Rosalyn don't die Rosalyn don't die don't die don't diedon'tdiedon'tdiewakeupwakeupwakeup-!_

Something suddenly clicked inside him.

Ari's hand glowed bright green. The light flowed into Rosalyn and she stirred slightly. Ari's heart leapt. This power was not the same as the one he was using earlier, but he wasn't going to question that now. He focused some more and Rosalyn opened her eyes.

"Rosalyn!" Ari exclaimed.

"Wha…?" Rosalyn sat up. "Ari?"

"About time you got up, zombie woman!" Stan said. He let out an exhausted sigh and said, "These beefed up fools are still standing, and I've used up all my power!"

Sure enough, none of the enemies had been eliminated. On the bright side, they looked considerably weaker than earlier. Ari stood in front of Rosalyn and got into his fighting stance.

"I've got this." Ari said.

Rosalyn stood up and took her place next to him. She said, "Thanks, but I don't need protecting."

**Go ahead, don't thank the kid for saving your life **_**again**_**, Brainless.**

All the enemies charged forward again. Ari and Rosalyn swung their swords at two of the bulls, vanquishing them. They moved to the sides just before the others could get them. Ari's eyes fell on the still unconscious Kisling. Could he help him with this new power too? He ran over to his side and decided to try.

The green light from his hand flowed into the professor, and he stirred and opened his eyes. He sat up and rubbed his head. He groaned, "What a horrible headache!"

"Are you alright?" Ari asked.

Kisling looked past him and saw Rosalyn facing the three remaining enemies. He sprang up and ran towards her, shouting, "I'll save you, Miss Rosalyn!"

He opened his book and cast a Storm spell on one of the bulls, vanquishing it. Rosalyn ran at the remaining bull and finished it off, leaving only the Big Bull Evil King left. Ari ran to his friends' sides, ready to take the Evil King out.

"You can do it, my servants!" The princess cheered them on

"You're good," the Big Bull Evil King grinned, "but I can still take you out on my own!"

He pounded his fists together. Without warning, pillars of fire sprang up from everyone's feet. They all moved out of the way, but not before being set on fire. Ari dropped down and rolled to extinguish the flames on him. The next thing he knew, something had grabbed his head and hoisted him to his feet. He saw the Evil King's fist rush at his face for a split second before he was sent flying.

Ari honestly didn't know how he was still conscious. He lay on his back, his face throbbing with pain. He placed a hand over his face and found that his nose was bleeding and broken. He focused on healing himself. While he was doing this, he could hear the sounds of the fight continuing without him.

_Man, that guy is brutal. _Gig thought.

_I don't know how long we can keep this up. _Ari thought.

He finished healing his face and got back up. He saw that Rosalyn and Kisling were doing their best to stay alive. Rosalyn made a few quick strikes with her sword while Kisling continued to use his Storm magic attack. Ari saw that his back was turned to him, and he knew that there was no better time to strike. He ran at the Evil King and swung his sword as hard as he could.

The hit knocked down the Big Bull Evil King. Everyone expected him to jump right back up, but he didn't. Rosalyn asked, "Did we do it?"

"Owwww…" The Evil King groaned painfully.

Everyone backed away. The Big Bull Evil King slowly got to his feet and stared at everyone. His body briefly glowed white. Like with the Chairman Evil King, there seemed to be no actual change.

Stan emerged as his form also briefly glowed. He laughed and said, "Yes! More of my power has returned to me! I was actually worried you slaves wouldn't have been able to pull it off, but victory is ours! Let us go and pound more Evil Kings!"

_Give us a break, _Ari thought.

"Whoa," the Former Big Bull Evil King spoke up, "you say you're going to go pound things?"

Ignoring him, Stan said to the group, "I know you couldn't have done it without me. Some appreciation would be nice."

"Appreciation?" Rosalyn asked. "You only attacked once!"

"Not true at all! I used nearly all of my power fighting them while you were out!"

"It's true." Ari said.

"I have to admit," the princess said, "Stan actually pulled his weight for once. You would have all been finished off if it wasn't for him."

"Stan…actually helped out?" Rosalyn asked in disbelief.

**Hard to believe, isn't it?**

"You shut up, foul mouth!" Stan snapped.

"It is not Stan alone who defeated him, though." The princess said. "You all did your part in achieving this victory."

The Former Evil King said, "You are strong indeed, brother! That was the toughest battle I ever fought!"

"Wait, who's a brother?" Rosalyn asked.

"Brother!" The Former Evil King went on. "I know you will keep my fighting spirit glowing forever! Right, Stan, brother?!"

"Me?" Stan asked. "I'm no one's brother!"

"The reason I waited here was so that I could fight with a kindred spirit, a brother!"

"Uh, listen, Former Big Bull Evil King…"

"Don't be stiff, brother! I don't need a title! Just call me Big Bull!"

"Big Bull, I think you misunderstand-."

"Before becoming an Evil King, I heard fate calling me. It said to me: 'Hi. Once you become the strongest, head deep into the sewer, okay? Bye.' It was confusing at first, but now I get it! It's not me heading there; it's you, brother!"

"Again, 'deep in the sewer'…" Kisling said. "Why? What is the importance?"

"I don't know the meaning, but I believe there will be a cool muscle paradise that only the strongest can reach!"

No one said anything to that.

"Now, let me join your family!" Big Bull said excitedly. "I want to travel with you from now on! You're cool with that, right brother?"

"Uh…sure…" Stan said hesitantly.

**Dumb as he is, it wouldn't hurt to have more muscle. Okay kid, dominate him.**

Ari approached Big Bull. Gig was right: it wouldn't be a bad idea to have someone else join them. Considering that he had nearly wiped them out, he should be a big help. He said, "Big Bull, I dominate you."

"Huh? Dominate?"

There was a brief flash of light, showing that the power of dominion had worked.

**Okay, you're with us now, stupid man-cow.**

"Cow? I am not a cow; I'm Big Bull!"

"Never mind him." Stan said. "Now, Big Bull, as a new slave, there are several things you need to know. Number one: you are to refer to me as Master Stan. Number two: we are on a quest to vanquish fake Evil Kings and get my magical power back so that I can conquer the world. Number three-."

"Number three is that I'm the one who's actually in charge of this adventure." The princess interrupted.

"No you're not!"

"Maybe we should start with a proper introduction." Rosalyn suggested.

"Good idea!" Big Bull ran up to Rosalyn. "We'll start with you, sister!"

"I'm not a sister! I am the Hero Rosalyn, and I am on a quest to get rid of all Evil Kings!"

"And I am Gutten Kisling, forty-five, and greatest ghost scholar in the world!" Kisling spoke up.

"Oh, so you're the Doc? Nice to meet you! Sorry about roughing you up too much."

"Ha ha, quite alright! I am just glad to still be alive!"

"I am Princess Marlene." The princess introduced herself. "I believe you people in the lower world refer to someone like me as a 'Don'."

"Oh no, not that, your Highness." Rosalyn groaned.

"Don? Gotcha, Don!" Big Bull nodded. He looked at Ari and asked, "What about you?"

"Ari." He simply said.

**The name's Gig. Forget it and I'll pound it into your thick skull.**

"Ari? Gig? It's like you're two people in one!"

**The kid and I **_**are**_** one, so yeah.**

"I'll just call you 'kid'! You know, you didn't go down easily back there. You're tough, kid!"

"Thanks." Ari muttered.

"This was rather tiring." The princess spoke up. "We should head back to Madril and call it a day."

"I agree with you completely, your Highness." Rosalyn nodded.

"Then let's head out, sister!" Big Bull said as he ran up the stairs.

"I'm not your sister!"

* * *

Ari had a lot to think about in his room at the hotel that night. First was that they had nearly lost to Big Bull. He was strong, and he was glad that he was now a part of their group. With him on their side, it should be easier to take out the remaining Evil Kings.

A thought crossed Ari's mind and he mentally asked Gig, _What do you think of Big Bull?_

_ What do I think? Why are you asking that?_

_ Just curious._

_ He's dumb, but not as dumb as Brainless. At least he's strong._

_ He reminds me of you._

_ What? How?!_

_ You both love to fight and you don't call us by our actual names._

_ Don't compare me to that stupid man-cow. He loves to fight, I love to kill. He calls you by different names because he's dumb. I call everyone different things because I don't give a flying shit about them. There are big differences between me and him._

Ari changed focus in his mind. He now thought about was the power he had used to save Rosalyn. It was different from the healing power that Gig had given him. He wondered if he had given him that power.

_I didn't do anything. _Gig thought. _That was all you, soulmate._

_ Me? _Ari asked. _How?_

_ I think you had it in you all along, just like Brainless with her ice magic._

_ I never thought I would actually have this kind of power to call my own._

_ Don't get all high and mighty over _that_, kid. It still doesn't compare to my power._

_ I know._

Ari climbed into bed. Tomorrow was going to be another rough day. His group was practically taking out one Evil King a day, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they came across the fifth Evil King tomorrow. He thought it would be pointless to hope that the next day would be easier, but he hoped nevertheless.

* * *

**So yes, Stan actually contributes more. Next time, personal questions are raised, feelings get hurt, and another Evil King shows up.**

**Before anyone screams **"Deus ex machina!" **at me at Ari's new power, I will say that he actually gets the ability to revive fallen party members in the original game.**


	13. Chapter 13: The Disbeliefs

**Lost: Disclaimer saying that I don't own Zener Works' **_**Okage Shadow King**_** or Nippon Ichi Software's **_**Soul Nomad and the World Eaters**_**.**

* * *

Chapter 13: The Disbeliefs

_There is a vast, beautiful garden with white pillars and walkways. In the center is a cradle with a baby sleeping in it. Standing next to it and looking down at the baby is a young man with white hair. He has pieces of black shoulder armor hovering at his sides. Sitting on a nearby bench is a woman with long green hair. In her arms, she is cradling a bundle of cloth that leaked blood at the bottom._

_ "Vigilance," the woman says, "what's wrong?"_

_ "That man, Median," the young man says in a low voice, "he has already lost two children before they even had a chance to live. I can't help but feel his pain."_

_ He is silent for a few moments. He then asks, "Haephnes, am I really fit to be the Master of Death?"_

_ "Are you doubting my judgment?" The woman tilts her head to the side._

_ "No, of course not. It's me that I'm doubting. Looking at these two, I don't know if I can keep doing this."_

_ Haephnes stands up and walks over to Vigilance. She says, "Everyone dies eventually, Vigilance, but they need someone to guide them to the cycle of rebirth. That is what a Master of Death does."_

_ "I know that, but…" His voice trails off._

_ "You helped these two innocent souls. You've eased them of their pain. They needed someone like you. Do you remember why I chose you, Vigilance? It is because you are kind and compassionate. There is no one better suited for this duty than you."_

_ "…I understand."_

* * *

_ What the hell?!_

Gig was thinking that as Ari woke up. He was confused. Gig was in that dream, except he had a kinder, gentler demeanor. That woman, Haephnes, was also there, and she had called him "Vigilance".

_You're Vigilance? _Ari asked.

_I'm not him, I'm—look, that's not the point here!_

_ Then what is?_

_ You are! You…I get it now. That bitch Haephnes sent you here._

_ Sent me? What are you talking about?_

_ You don't get it? Then let me spell it out for you: you're not from this world._

_ What?_

Ari shook his head. None of this made any sense. He asked, "You're making this up, right? You're lying again, aren't you?"

_You know when I'm lying, kid, and I'm not lying._

"That…that's not right. I can't be from another world. These dreams don't mean anything. There isn't any proof."

_I don't know why I haven't thought about this before, but now it makes sense._

_ How?_

_ Back at my world, there was this man who had two children. Turns out he had three, though. Point is: he had a sword that only he and his bloodline could use. Revya was able to use that sword because she was his child in her previous life._

_ Wait…you don't mean the sword you were sealed in?_

_ Yep. No one in this world should be able to use it, but you…_

"I…I'm from another world?" Ari could not believe what he was hearing. "Why am I here then?"

_That's what I don't know, and it can't be a coincidence that I'm here either. This was all Haephnes's doing, but what is that bitch planning?_

Ari covered his face with his hands. The thoughts refused to register in his head. He wanted to believe that Gig was making all this up, but he knew him enough at this point to know when he was lying or being serious.

"I…I can't believe this." Ari said, his mind still in denial. "What am I supposed to say to the others?"

_Why tell them? They're not going to get anything out of it._

_ …True…_

_ Kid, I'm as shocked as you are about all this, but you can't get so damned depressed over it. What's wrong with being from another world anyways?_

Ari wondered just who he was. When that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly remembered his grandmother's words, as well as the voice recorder she gave him. He took out the voice recorder and pushed a button. It was slightly comforting to hear his grandmother's voice, even if it was just a recording.

"You are my darling grandchild," the recorded voice spoke, "you are a good boy, but most of all, Ari: you are you. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

There came a knock on the door. Ari set the recorder off to the side and went to answer the door. Standing outside of his room was Princess Marlene. She said, "We are about to get breakfast. Come along, Servant Ari."

"Okay," he answered, "give me a few minutes."

"By the way, I thought I heard a voice in here."

"Oh, that. It was the voice recorder."

"Voice recorder?"

"Yeah." Ari picked up the voice recorder and showed it to the princess. He said, "Grandma gave this to me."

"She did? What does it do?"

"It…records voices."

"Hmm, that sounds interesting. May I try it out?"

"Sure, your Highness."

There was another knock at the door. Standing outside the open doorway was Rosalyn. She asked, "What are you doing, your Highness?"

"I'm about to try out Ari's voice recorder." The princess answered.

"Voice recorder?" Rosalyn walked into the room and saw the strange device in Ari's hands. She said, "That's the strange thing we found in the church basement. Ari, how did you get that?"

"Grandma gave it to me as a present." He answered.

"Is that really alright? It seemed to belong to the village itself, the last time I checked."

"Hey!" A voice shouted. "Why are you all hanging out in the kid's room?"

Big Bull entered the room, followed by Kisling. Ari couldn't help but notice how crowded the room had suddenly become.

"What a strange device you have there!" Kisling observed. "I have not seen anything like this before! What does it do?"

"I'll just show you." Ari pressed a button and said, "Okay, say something."

"Something!" Big Bull said.

"Er…" Rosalyn said hesitantly. "I am Hero Rosalyn, and I am here to get rid of all the Evil Kings."

Stand emerged and said, "I am the Great Evil King Stan, and I am here with my slaves to subjugate all the fake Evil Kings, get my power back, and conquer the world!" He laughed evilly.

"You can't even conquer a gnat, you flat doofus."

"Just wait until I get all of my power back, fatty!"

"I told you: I'm not fat!"

"Oh stop your arguing already." Princess Marlene spoke up. "As much as you hate each other, we are here for a common goal: to eradicate the Evil Kings."

"True!" Kisling said. "Only together can we succeed!"

"Right on, Doc!" Big Bull nodded.

Ari pushed another button and said, "That should be enough." He pressed a button and the conversation from earlier played out.

When it was done, Stan asked, "Do I really sound like that?"

"I'm glad you came to the realization that you sound like a moron." Rosalyn said with a smirk on her face.

"You're just saying that because you don't want to admit that you sound like a moron yourself!"

"Only morons call others 'moron', moron!"

"Moron! In saying that, you have proved yourself to be a moron!"

**You're both morons, you know that?**

"Enough of this!" The princess snapped.

Rosalyn immediately stopped and apologized.

"Now, first we eat, then we search for the next Evil King."

* * *

After breakfast, everyone took a look at the Map O' Evil Kings again. For the fifth Evil King, the legend read: "For the third time, a sign of an Evil King in the city of steel. What is dreadful is that it deceives people's souls. Its silent steps, however, surely multiply its sacrifice." No one really knew what it meant, but they were sure they were going to have to search all over Madril once again. They decided they would split up into two groups. Ari, Rosalyn, and Princess Marlene would search the second floor while Kisling and Big Bull would search the first floor.

It did not take long for something to happen with Ari's group.

They had just arrived on the second floor when they saw Linda in her usual spot. Ari figured he might as well say hello to her while he was here. The singer saw the group and ran up to them, saying, "Coaches! You've come back to see me!"

Stan emerged and said, "Oh, you again."

"Guess what, guess what? People are taking the time to listen to my songs more! It's all thanks to you, coaches! Ari, Gig, Stan, I really don't know how to thank you all…"

"Coaches?" Princess Marlene asked. "Ari, who is this girl?"

Now that Ari thought about it, this was the first time the princess saw Linda. He said, "Princess, this is Linda. Linda, this is Princess Marlene."

"Princess? Really?" Linda asked. "Glad to meet you! You know, Coach has really been helping me out with my singing. He's such a kind person."

A frown appeared on the princess's face. She said, "You, I order you not to get needlessly close to my servant."

"Wow, you have an attitude problem."

"'Attitude problem' doesn't even begin to scratch the surface." Stan said.

"Linda," Rosalyn said, "please don't talk to her Highness like that."

"Go ahead, girlie! Keep talking to her like that!"

"I will say it again," the princess stepped forward, "don't speak needlessly to my servant."

"Servant?" Linda glared. "Are you talking about my coach? Don't you dare call him that!"

**Finally, someone else states the obvious!**

"See? He doesn't like that either! Just because you call yourself a princess does not mean you should treat someone nice like a servant!"

"First of all," the princess glared back, "that wasn't Ari speaking. Two, what do you know about Ari anyways?"

"What do _you_ know, _princess_?"

Everyone could sense the hostility in the air. Rosalyn pleaded, "Your Highness, Linda, please stop fighting."

"Don't interrupt the fun, piggy." Stan said. "This is getting good!"

"Coach gave me encouragement and training." Linda went on. "You don't even know how deeply involved we are with each other!"

"Involved?" Ari had to ask.

"Well," the princess said, "I had his mother teach me cooking at his house, so there."

"Really? That's the best you've got? Well, you had no idea how encouraging his words were to me. When I was down and about to quit, Coach told me to never give up."

"Don't forget that it was me who gave you those lyrics!" Stan spoke up.

"Yes, you were also helpful, Coach Stan, but-."

"Humph!" Princess Marlene folded her arms. "I guess I have no choice but to tell you this then: it was he who rushed into my arms when we first met."

"Princess?" Rosalyn asked in surprise.

"I just tripped-." Ari tried to explain.

**You lying pain in the ass!**

"He denies it." Linda said. "It's his word over yours. Anyways, we were meant to be with each other. Oh, his loving touch as he laid his hand on my shoulder-."

"I didn't!" Ari protested. He thought the whole situation was getting ridiculous at this point.

"He denies it. It's his word over yours." The princess threw Linda's earlier words right back at her.

"You don't have to lie." Linda said. "After all, our love transcends above all, especially the words of some high-browed individual who dares to call you her servant!"

Princess Marlene hung her head and said nothing. Rosalyn approached her and asked, "Princess?"

"A-Ari…" The princess's voice trembled. "You…you player!"

She ran back to the vertical ascending structure, her face in her hands. Rosalyn ran after her, but the lift was already going down at that point. All she could do was wait. Meanwhile, Ari faced Linda and asked, "Why did you do that?"

"Huh? Don't tell me you actually care for her?" Linda asked.

"I…you were being mean."

"She was treating you like trash! Someone had to put her in her place."

**Yeah, you really let her have it.**

Linda giggled and a smile stretched across her face. Rosalyn approached Ari and told him, "We should go look for her Highness."

Ari nodded and, without another word to anyone, left with Rosalyn.

When they had arrived on the first floor, they saw Big Bull by himself, turning his head every which way as if looking for something. He spotted Ari and Rosalyn and ran up to them. He said, "There you are!"

"What is it?" Rosalyn asked.

"Me and the Doc saw the Don run back to the inn. He told me to look for you guys while he went to check on her."

"She went to the inn?"

Rosalyn ran off. Shrugging, Big Bull ran after her, followed by Ari. In the lobby of the inn, they saw Kisling standing around. Rosalyn asked him, "Where is the princess?"

"She has locked herself in her room." Kisling reported.

Rosalyn went to the hallway where the rooms were. Ari and Big Bull stayed where they were. Kisling asked Ari, "What happened?"

"The princess met Linda." Ari said.

"Hm, I suspect that they got into a fight."

"A fight?" Big Bull asked. "But the Don didn't look beaten up to me."

"It is not that kind of fight, Big Bull."

"No, it's not." Came Rosalyn's voice.

She had returned. She shook her head and said, "She won't come out."

"What kind of fight did she get into?" Big Bull asked Rosalyn.

"I've seen this before. It's a fight from a battlefield called love." She turned to face Ari and told him, "You should talk to her, Ari."

"Me?" He asked.

"Yes, you. It's obvious she is heartbroken. Set things straight." She patted his shoulder and whispered, "Good luck."

Ari gulped and went down the hallway alone. He didn't know what to say to Marlene. From what he understood from that fight, it seemed like both she and Linda were in love with him. He gave Linda some encouragement, but he doubted it was enough to make her fall in love. As for the princess, she had said that she was in love with him before, but she herself said it was a lie. She couldn't be falling for him for real…could she?

Personally, Ari wasn't romantically interested in either girl. He cared for them, yes, but he couldn't see himself dating either of them. Linda seemed too clingy and Marlene was just bossy. Plus, after having been dumped by Julia, he couldn't really see himself dating another girl.

He now stood in front of the door to the princess's room. He slowly raised his fist to knock on the door, but hesitated. What _was_ he going to say to her?

_Don't ask me, kid. _Gig thought. _I don't give a rat's ass about all this romance crap._

Knowing that he couldn't stand in front of the door forever, he went ahead and knocked.

"Go away, Rosalyn!" The princess's voice snapped from the other side.

"Marle—princess, it's me." Ari said.

"Oh…Ari. I apologize for what happened, but please, I need to be alone. I don't know what I would say to you if I saw you."

_Wait…_she's_ apologizing? _Ari thought.

"I…I am so selfish and rude, and I'm not sweet, not like that girl. I can't fight ghosts, I boss everyone around, I…"

**Well Halle-freakin-luiah, you've finally admitted that you're an ass.**

"Gig!" Ari snapped.

"Ari," the princess said, "I…why do I feel…?"

"Marlene?"

"Please, leave me alone. I can't figure myself out. I don't know why I'm feeling this way right now. Just…give me some time."

Ari did not know what the princess was talking about. All he could do was say, "Okay."

"Thank you."

Ari went back to the lobby feeling awkward. He didn't know how he had expected things to turn out, but he didn't imagine something like that. When he returned, he saw that the other members of the group were talking. He had walked in just in time to hear Stan shout, "How can this be?! There is no way that-!"

Rosalyn noticed Ari and asked, "How did it go?"

"I don't know." Ari shook his head. "She just wants to be left alone."

"Oh, well-."

"Slave number two!" Stan interrupted. "You should hear what Professor Crackpot and Bull found out!"

"Found out about what?" Ari asked.

"The Evil King, of course!"

**So tell us about him already!**

"Well," Kisling said, "if the word of everyone in town is to be trusted, then the next Evil King is actually that singer girl, Linda!"

Ari could not believe what he was hearing. Linda…an Evil King? There was no way she could be an Evil King. He asked, "Linda?"

_**Her**_**? Stop screwing with us, Nutjob.**

"Everyone has gone ga-ga over her!" Big Bull said. "They even said that she's an Evil King! I actually wouldn't mind meeting her!"

"Well, if the Kisling Hybrid Evil King Theory still holds," Kisling said, "then it wouldn't be a surprise that Linda might be an Evil King. You know that she has horns on her head, right?"

"Yes," Rosalyn said, "but I thought they were some sort of fashion accessory."

"Still, it can't be her!" Stan said. "She's a weak, pathetic little girl!"

"I can't help but think you may have been a part of this, Stan. You did teach her to think like an Evil King."

"I…er…well, I did, but look! If she had any of my power, I would have sensed it!"

**She could be hiding it. Not everyone shows off their full power like the stupid man-cow over there.**

"Or you." Rosalyn said.

**What was that, Brainless? I dare you to say that again.**

"Either way, the only way we're going to find out is if we ask her ourselves."

"What are we waiting for?" Big Bull asked. "Let's go!"

* * *

On their way to the second floor, Ari and Rosalyn paid attention to the people in Madril. They listened in on them as they passed them by. Kisling and Big Bull were proven right, as they did nothing but talk about how good Linda was. Some of them even shouted to the world that they were in love with her. Days ago, no one really cared about her. Now, however, she was the star of the city.

On the second floor, everyone saw that a small crowd had gathered around Linda. Through their cheers and shouts, they could faintly hear her sing. They waited until the crowd dispersed after the song. Linda saw the group and ran up to them.

"Coaches!" She beamed. "Did you see that? Everyone is obsessed with me! I did it! I finally did it, and it's all thanks to you three!"

Stan emerged and said, "Yes, well, thank you, girl. However, there is something we need to know!"

"What is it, Coach Stan?"

"Linda, sweetie," Rosalyn said, "don't you think your…fans…like you _too_ much?"

"Huh? That's okay! They're all brainwashed and happy!"

"Brainwashed?" Stan asked.

"That is a word that Stan likes to use," Kisling observed, "so that must mean…"

"Linda," Ari said, "are you an Evil King?"

"Yes, I am." Linda said without any less enthusiasm. "I'm thinking of calling myself the 'Teen Idol Evil King'. How does that sound?"

"You…wait a moment…" Stan said. "This power I'm sensing…you…!"

"Aren't you happy for me, Coaches? Let's go on a world conquest tour together!"

Ari didn't want to believe what he was hearing. Linda was an Evil King, and she wanted to conquer the world.

"Stan, you have certainly made a monster." Kisling said.

"I told you before," Stan said, "it wasn't just me! Slave number two and foul mouth also helped out!"

**This again? I never said anything about conquering the world.**

"Me neither." Ari shook his head.

"Yes, it was Coach Stan that motivated me to want to conquer the world," Linda said, "but it was Ari and Gig who gave me encouraging words and told me not to give up."

"But I didn't think-."

"Listen, girl," Stan said, "I am the true Evil King, and I take out fake Evil Kings like you!"

"Coach Stan, you're an Evil King, too?" Linda's face fell. "But I can't fight any of you! You have been so kind and helpful to me, Coaches."

"We don't want to fight you either, Linda," Rosalyn admitted, "but it is our duty to eliminate all Evil Kings."

"No! I don't want to fight!"

Linda ran off towards the exit of the city. Rosalyn lowered her head and said, "I guess we have no choice but to go after her."

"You know what to do, porky." Stan said.

Ignoring his insult, Rosalyn took out the Map O' Evil Kings. She read out loud, "'A stone dais on an island of snow. A woeful stage to trick the heart and trap the spirit. Skies dim when stars fall.' An island of snow…she must be heading to a dungeon somewhere in Pos Pos Snowfield."

"Then let's go already!" Stan said impatiently.

"Hold on; I need to notify the princess of this. Wait for me here."

Rosalyn left the group. No one said anything for a few minutes. Then, out of the blue, Big Bull asked, "So, does anyone else think that girl is hot?"

Nobody answered. Ari was too caught up in his thoughts to care what Big Bull had said. He still could not believe that Linda was an Evil King. How long had she been one? She must have become one recently, if the people in Madril were just now falling head over heels for her and her singing.

Rosalyn had now returned, but she was alone. She reported, "I have told her Highness everything. However, she will not be coming with us this time. I do not want to leave her alone, though. I'm thinking of staying behind."

Stan emerged and said, "Oh no you don't! It's my power that girl has, and I'm the one who's going to get it back!"

Rosalyn sighed, "True. Then, who will stay? What about you, Ari?"

**There's no way in hell you're cutting us out of the action.**

"I volunteer to stay!" Kisling said. "As you have all seen in the last battle, I practically did nothing to help out!"

"Professor…" Rosalyn said in a low voice.

"Besides, Big Bull will be of better help than I!"

"I won't let any of you down!" Big Bull exclaimed.

"Very well." Rosalyn gave a single nod. "Take care of the princess, Professor. I swear, if anything happens to her-!"

"Ha ha! Do not worry, Miss Rosalyn! I, Gutten Kisling, famous ghost expert, swear that no harm will come to the princess!"

With that said, Kisling left the group. The remaining members made their way out of Madril with mixed feelings in their hearts. They were off to face the Teen Idol Evil King, and friend, Linda.

* * *

**So, Kisling won't be participating in the next big battle. Next time, the group fights the Teen Idol Evil King and someone gives a shocking confession of love.**

**If anyone wants to express their thoughts and opinions on the major twists in the story (like Ari being from another world), send me a private message. I don't want spoilers be shown in the review section.**


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